


Beauty and the Street Fighter

by jarethsdragon



Category: Street Fighter
Genre: Dark Hado, Dark!Ryu, F/M, Happy Ending, Rape, Violence, fairy tale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 18:37:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 32,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20971181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jarethsdragon/pseuds/jarethsdragon
Summary: You are a simple bartender when Ken Masters comes in and turns your life upside down.  But... not for himself—but for his best friend Ryu.





	Beauty and the Street Fighter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [abluey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/abluey/gifts), [iLoveHanzoMoreThanSleep](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iLoveHanzoMoreThanSleep/gifts), [Rangrid](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Rangrid).
  * Inspired by [Street Fighter Chronicles](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/525863) by I-guyjin-i. 

> This is dedicated to ILoveHanzoMoreThanSleep because I get tons of comments and cheer. It is also dedicated to Randgrid because I haven’t give back enough in terms of fanfic for the lovely comments I got—thanks bunches for encouraging me. For CloudsOfAnime too—because I’m so glad you went back to read so much of my earlier stuff.
> 
> Next time, I’ll do another Hanzo piece, but this might have to do in the meantime.
> 
> Note: This is based off the Street Fighter Chronicles at https://www.deviantart.com/i-guyjin-i/gallery/33848144/street-fighter-chronicles. I saw some on Pinterest and this story blossomed. I couldn’t have written this without that inspiration, so everyone—PUBLISH and DRAW and CREATE so that others can get inspired.

“Don’t you know who that is?” your fellow bartender asked excitedly.

You looked up from your tumblers and grabbed the bottle of grenadine. You poured a bit on top of each drink and then grabbed some cherries to drop in each tumbler. You set them on the service bar and finally looked over your shoulder.

There was a muscular, blond man scowling over his drink at the end of the bar with a gritty shadow of black stubble. He wore a scarlet, sleeveless outfit that folded one piece over the other in a V and left his chest bare. His hair was long—past his shoulders—and tied with a matching red piece of fabric. He grunted sourly and finished off his double shot of whiskey before slamming down the glass on the bar and scowling with his dark eyes glinting darkly under his black brows.

You turned to take the next order and began mixing two margaritas. “So—who is he?” you whispered.

“Don’t you know?! It’s too exciting.” You coworker’s voice dipped to a low whisper. “That’s him—Ken Masters.”

“So?” You poured the tequila. “Who is that?”

“Ken Masters—the American martial artist. He was going for some world championship thing but then he found out about his wife.”

“What about her?”

“Eliza Masters. They say he went home between tournaments and found her in bed with another man—some Jamaican DJ. She tried to blow it off—but he kicked her out. They were divorced but she had him with a prenup and took him to the cleaners.”

You poured the margaritas into their glasses and took the money to put into the till. “So?”

“You didn’t read any of the papers did you? She took half of everything. Then he had some kind of buyout. Seems like some kind of shady business did a hostile takeover.” You nodded shortly, listening with only half an ear. “He’s still loaded, but the word is that he’s bitter about the whole thing and only works, fights and drinks.”

You threw another glance over your shoulder. The man nodded sourly at you and raised his glass for another. You gave him your usual hospitality smile and nodded. Then you turned to grab another bottle. The story seemed like a long shot—what on earth would even a minor celebrity be doing in this dump?—and you certainly had no business alienating a good customer.

You brought the whiskey over and gave him a refill.

“Thanks,” he muttered.

“You’re welcome,” you smiled. He gave you a nod and shrugged his meaty shoulders. “So what’s a guy like you—?”

“Doing in a place like this?” he snorted. He slugged back the drink and stared at you. “The same as everyone, I guess. Looking for something I can’t find.”

“Really?” you smiled. “And what’s that?”

“Do you...?” he began. Suddenly, you saw him flush and a goofy, boyish grin appear on his face. “Do you believe in fairy tales?”

“Not really,” you admitted. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

He finally chuckled and nodded. “Nothing, maybe. But I am looking for something to help a friend.” He cocked his head and looked at your necklaces. “So where did you find such an unusual pendant?”

You reached for the jewelry, knowing exactly which one he was talking about. “This? My best friend was trying to learn to make jewelry. Believe it or not, this was supposed to be an enameled yin yang. Unfortunately, there was something wrong—not hot enough or not cold enough or something—and this is what came out. It looked so funky and cool looking, I begged to go ahead and keep it. Everyone asks about it.”

He nodded and gave a big smile. “It’s cool.” He looked at you again. “Very unique. Like, it might be a good way to find you.”

Your professional smile faltered a bit. Then a bit more as he tilted the glass towards the bottle again. You gave him his refill and then looked at the bottle. “You gonna finish the bottle on me?”

“What will you do if I do?” he snorted harshly as his eyes narrowed.

“Umm... I’ll charge you for your drinks and call you a cab?”

He snorted and nodded shortly, staring you up and down. His eyes were coldly appraising, as if he was looking at a slab of meat. “You’ve got some nerve, babe.” He pointed at the bar with a finger. “Leave the bottle.”

You did as he said, momentarily afraid as he scowled. Thankfully, there were more people drifting in. You went from patron to patron, gathering orders and pouring drinks, running tabs and listening to the cash register ringing up. Your tip jar kept filling up, too—so it wasn’t a total loss of an evening. Whatever event had just let out, it was a doozy—big, muscular men were drifting in with a myriad of bruises and injuries.

You took a towel from the pile behind the bar and wiped the sweat from your face, throat and chest. It was a relief for a moment, even if the towel got tangled in the collection of necklaces around your throat. You sighed and got a tumbler of ice water with a squeeze of lime and two maraschino cherries.

The blond was still staring at you, steadily drinking the whiskey. You debated whether or not it was worth going ahead and cutting him off. He seemed to be stone cold sober, despite everything. Stone cold sober, and apparently very dangerous, if the sideways looks from the other men were any indication as they shuffled around to give him a wide berth.

He kept staring, though.

You went to a table with a pair of muscular men to bring them some water. One of them was in some kind of grungy clothes and had a curved mohawk like a bird’s beak with chains around his wrists. The other was a mess—his bloody nose dripping all over his t-shirt and ripped pants. They were more beat up than most—with huge bruises and a black eye apiece—and were growling under their breath at Ken.

“Here you go, guys,” you smiled. A huge, fake smile, but a smile nonetheless. “Do you want... some Tylenol or something?”

“Yo... the sheila is hittin’ on ya, Birdie,” the bloody nosed guy smirked crookedly.

“Not quite,” you smiled stiffly. “But I can bring you something to drink and some pills from the first aid kit.” The larger man, Birdie, grinned and you shuddered at the bloody gap from his missing tooth. “Or I can call you a cab?”

“Ehh... why not stay a bit, an’ talk ta ya friend, Birdie?” he said as he reached around you.

You were about to say something when Ken stood up. “I think the lady has other ideas,” he snapped. “Why don’t you go and do as she says and take a cab home?”

“Pretty boy—why don’t ya just run home, eh?”

“Make me,” the blond snapped.

“Oi, bloke, ya don’t know what yer messin’ with,” Birdie snarled, pushing you into his friend. “Hold on to the sheila, mate. I gotta take care of business.” He pounded his fist into his hand. “Yo guys—you ain’t never seen nothin’ like this beat down.”

Ken’s eyes narrowed again. “You have no idea what I’ve seen. Now let the girl go and go home, huh?”

Immediately, Birdie lunged at him. The scarlet clad man dodged, his fists raised. People rushed around, some fighting and some screaming and some running for the exit. You wove around, trying to get loose. The man holding you screamed something as Birdie and Ken began trading heavy blows. Birdie was outmatched, but kept trying to fight until he cracked his head against one of the heavy tables.

You thrashed and kicked, making the man holding you howl when you finally got a hit on his shin. He cursed and shook you, but that made you more angry. So, you screamed again—loud enough to make everyone else pause for just a second before they started fighting again—and kicked him even harder. He cursed again and you felt him slap your bottom. “Fucking bitch! Birdie is gonna rip you up!”

You were terrified and jerked to hit him again, but he dodged. Suddenly the guy holding you shoved you at Ken. You screamed, expecting to fall on your face, but Ken caught you and drug you to the bar. With a deft move, he grabbed your necklaces and you felt them catch on something. You tugged hard and realized that you were caught on the hooks the owner had installed under the bar top to hold the purses and bags of the patrons. Effectively, you were leashed to the bar as Ken whirled to fight again.

You gasped for breath as Ken began to pound the few men who were stupid or drunk enough to challenge him. You looked on helplessly as Ken simply pounded them all into submission. When he finally turned to look at you, his hair was in a wild frizzled mess and splatters of blood speckled all of his clothing and body. It made him look... mad, wild—almost violent and evil.

The blond man took another glance around and smirked at the limp bodies and destruction all around him. With a snort, he walked back over to you and grabbed your necklaces off the hook with all the carelessness of a man grabbing the collar of a mutt he was adopting.

“Come on, babe—we’re leaving,” he snarled with a spooky grin. “Got stuff to do.”

“But I—!”

“You’re coming with me. And the bar is torn up—won’t be repaired for weeks.” He drug you out the back door of the bar and down the alley. “Besides, I got the feeling a doll like you might be useful.”

You stumbled after him. The police were only now arriving—your coworkers were across the street fumbling with their cell phones and gawking—and you had no choice with the big man muscling you around.

“Don’t worry, babe,” he hissed. “Just keep quiet and no one gets hurt.”

You whimpered softly as he turned down another alley—one so dark you had never dared go down it—and tugged again. He instantly gripped you harder, his arm crushing around your torso, and you whispered, “Wh-w-what do you want w-w-with me?”

He laughed in your ear in a deep, cold way. “Like I told you, babe. I think you can really help me out. Now, just keep quiet and we’ll get going.”

He drug you around to a mostly empty parking lot where a shiny black bus was parked. You couldn’t even swallow with his hand tangled around your necklaces as you stared at the huge tour bus. He pounded the door twice and it opened up silently.

He drug you on board, past the stone faced driver who pointedly never met your eyes. Behind the first two rows of normal looking seats, there was a heavy door that slid open and then closed behind you. Then, he drug you to a hugely overstuffed seat and shoved you down on it before going to a small box on the wall.

“Let’s go, Patsy,” he snapped.

“Sure thing, sir,” came the crackly reply. “Where to, sir?”

“Go to the brig,” Ken snorted. He spared you a glance. “Step on it.”

“As you wish, sir.”

The bus shuddered and began to roll. You shuddered as you looked out the heavily tinted windows. As high as the bus was, no one would be able to see you—no one would know what happened to you except that you were... gone. Tears crowded your eyes as you watched the city start to flash past you. Even the big vans and pickups you passed were lower than you were as you stared at the window.

The bus chugged out of town and you finally ran out of traffic to watch. The bus was as luxurious as anything you had ever heard of. The blond man—Ken—was stretched out on a recliner across the carpeted aisle from you, reading a flashy magazine with Japanese characters all across the top and a scowling man with his fists up on the cover. A pair of dark screens were on the walls at the at the door to the driver’s compartment along with what must be an intercom. There was a luxurious twin bed further back on one wall, just in front of a walled off compartment with an inexplicable mermaid and seahorse painted on it with a cursive “W.C.” painted on it. Across from the bed was a narrow counter with a microwave, a tiny sink, and a number of cabinets with loop latches keeping them closed as the bus took a turn.

You sighed as you shakily stood up. “What are you doing?”

Ken rolled his eyes and turned the page of his magazine. “We’re going to the brig, babe.”

“What?” You shook your head and staggered to the back of the bus. Sure enough the door in the back with its gaudy painting was a minuscule bathroom with a shower, a toilet with a sink. Inexplicably, there was a small intercom back here as well.

With shaking fingers, you pressed the button with a microphone. There was a staticky sound and you heard, “Cheerio, sir. We’re still about three hours out.”

“Umm... could you just... let me out?” you whispered.

There was a soft chuckle and you heard Ken’s voice. “The intercom tells all. Don’t stop, Patsy. Just keep going.”

The driver let out a grunt. “As you say, sir. Straight on.”

Ken’s voice came back on. “Babe—everything on the intercom broadcasts to all the speakers. Just chill out. Things are going to be working out soon.”

You growled at the male laughter and stalked out. You’d surely find a phone or something at some point, and then you’d get out, so all that remained was to play along. Ken snorted and shook his head and plopped on the recliner again. You looked around, undoing the latches and sticking your nose into the upper cabinets. There were carefully rolled up shirts and sweatpants and socks. There was a selection of bottled waters—flavored and unflavored—and huge cabinet filled with nondairy creamers and the biggest canisters of coffee you had ever seen. Another cabinet had appalling amounts of junk food—chips, cookies, candies, and enough crap that you would have guessed he robbed a vending machine to get.

“What ya looking for, babe?” he called. “I got just about everything back there if you know where to look.”

You rolled your eyes and sighed, closing the cabinets again and latching them. “Is there anything to do? To read?”

“Yeah, babe.” He reached beside the recliner into some hidden pocket or cabinet and spilled out several remotes and what appeared to be a pair of game controllers. “Nothing but the best on the Love Bus.”

That made you shudder. “The ‘Love Bus’?” You flinched and looked at the remotes. “So is that what this is?!”

“The name is a mess,” he shrugged, picking up a remote and turning on the screen in front of you. “But it’s the best we can do. So, get comfortable, huh?”

You sat down with one of the controllers as he turned on the apparently endless selection of games—fighting games, first person shooters, gambling games of slots or poker, and three role-playing games that had a reputation for violence, blatant sexuality and gore. He scrolled through the games a few times before you even tried to select one—the Vegas slots game that seemed the least gross of them.

You played a few rounds—you spent about two and a half thousand and won about half that back—before you looked at him. “So what is the brig?”

He snorted and shook his head. “It’s... a—. Well, you’ll understand when you see it—but not before.”

“What kind of bullshit answer is that?”

“You’ll see.”

You played a few more rounds as he read his magazine. The mysterious Patsy never said a word as the bus kept rumbling through the roads. Finally, he got up, looked through the cabinets and you heard him microwaving something. When he sat down beside you, you saw he had a burrito and a cup of coffee.

“Mmmm... why don’t you do the max bet next time, babe? The wild cards on this board are easy.” You looked at the board and mashed a few buttons, unsurprised when it finally gave you a decent payout. “See? This board is easy.”

“Where was the—?”

“The cold stuff is in the fridge beneath the microwave.”

You sighed and went to dig out another cabinet and, to your surprise, there were microwave burritos, microwave meals and a carton of rocky road ice cream. You snagged one and microwaved yourself a meal. Then you plopped down and ate it while he gambled a virtual fortune away and won another.

There wasn’t a lot to do otherwise as you kept rumbling through roads. The buildings were all dark here—big, cement and steel industrial buildings with heavy gates and fences around them. It would be intimidating if you weren’t looking down on the guardhouses and entry gates from your perch by the heavily tinted windows.

The bus rumbled around a turn and stopped in front of a heavy iron gate. A bulky guard stepped out and climbed what was apparently a custom built platform to check the with the bus driver. Ken snorted and rolled his eyes and turned off the game as the bus lurched through the gate.

His smile was cold and his voice dropped, “Welcome to the brig.”

You saw nothing for miles as the bus passed through a second wall and gate and then turned to go to an underground garage that was also opened and closed by guards. “What is this place?”

Ken didn’t answer—only tossed the remotes and game controllers away. He gave you a grimace and waved towards the door. That was more singularly terrifying than if he had gone into a detailed explanation or given you platitudes. It was more terrifying than the heavy clang as the heavy metal garage door closed behind the bus. It made you shiver as you stood there, following him without a word. Not that the bus was any less scary when the lights of the bus turned off and the engine died.

The entire building was made of cement blocks. Heavy cement blocks with cement floors and strange iron mesh over the huge fluorescent light fixtures. Of course the windows were barred. One of the lights kept flickering uncertainly, as if you were in a horror movie, and you felt the distinct need to run.

Ken grabbed you again, though. He led you through the one single metal door and down the hallway. Every hallway had at least one of those buzzing light fixtures that kept blinking off and on and making the whole hallway seem shadowy. There were only a few doors that were all painted metal and all of them had a strange sort of glyph painted on the outside, along with a clumsy leather bag that had feathers and a string of beads around it.

He turned you down another anonymous hallway with a huge double set of those doors. There was a huge glyph over both doors, and a leather bag tied to each handle. There were no other doors, and the cement blocks seemed strangely oversized. A heavily muscled man in a security uniform with a pistol and a billy club at his waist.

“Evening, Mr. Masters,” he said. “Nice night out?”

Ken nodded, “Great night out, Billy.”

“Things been real lively tonight, sir,” he smiled. He gave you a nod, but his smile was strangely strained. “It’s good that you got back.”

“Everyone inside?”

At just that moment, all of the lights dimmed and then blazed with almost blinding light. The hum became a harsh buzz and you covered your eyes for a moment. Slowly, they dimmed to a normal light, only to flare up again. One of the fixtures exploded with sparks bouncing on the floor, making you yelp in terror. Then the lights gradually dimmed to normal. Neither Ken or the guard seemed alarmed, only waited until the lights were normal.

“Yeah... things are real lively tonight.” He nodded slightly at the door. “Glad to have you back, sir.”

Ken snorted and gestured towards the door.

The guard grunted—you couldn’t figure out if that was good or bad—and took out a badge to wave in front of a high tech looking reader. There was a small beep, a light turned green, and then the double doors opened.

He shoved your shoulder, but you were absolutely curious now to see what was the source of all the fuss. You slid forward with a sense of horrified curiosity. The darkened room beyond had a glare of light, but it was dead silence beyond. It was like the movies—the horror movies where the music would change or go utterly silent just before the horrifying monster jumped out.

The door closed behind you as you stepped through. You caught a glimpse of the rail of what appeared to be a factory balcony, with a slight gleam of light beneath it, but then the light behind you died.

“Well, babe, here we are,” Ken muttered, walking past you. He went to lean on the edge of the railing and stare down. You crept up to him. “This is the brig.”

You stared in horror at the view. Below you, you saw a large, round room with smooth walls that reminded you of a missile silo. The bottom was a wide flat slab of cement with pieces of rebar or steel in a circle only a few meters wide. Every bar had a loop of cement with chains and there was another of those huge glyphs covering the whole floor. Hardware stores had less chains and iron than you saw down there.

It was the one in the middle that made you shiver. There was a man in the middle, with the huge chains going to every part of his body—two each to his legs, four to his waist, and four to a heavy collar around his neck. He wore ripped and torn pants that might have been white at one point and a cream straight jacket that couldn’t be anything but heavy canvas and reinforced with leather straps. His hair was shaggy and dark and flopped around as if he hadn’t cut it—or even combed it—in months, and was so dirty and sweaty that it looked disgusting. Everything was spattered with dirty red, rusty brown and wet looking stains.

The man could barely move with all the chains, but that didn’t stop him from trying to wrestle free. He could take a few steps forward and then back or to the left and then right. Each time he hit the edge of the glyph, it turned red as if it was an ember and he growled and shuffled back. Then he shuffled faster to the other side, dragging what must have been pounds of steel with him—and it appeared that he bounced off some unseen wall. That seemed to knock him sideways and he let out a wordless scream before spitting out a bloody mass that hit the wall.

Ken’s voice was unexpectedly soft. “That’s what I brought you here for.”

That made the man below you look up. He stared up at you both and screamed again. You gaped to see that his eyes were glowing a bloody red. No, not just glowing—the red was flowing off and become flares of red in the air. Unexpectedly, he leapt up as if he could fly, only to have the chains rattle and then yank him to the floor. That seemed to make him even more enraged as the glyph glowed beneath him and seemed to hurt him.

You whirled on Ken and slapped him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

He snorted and rubbed his cheek. “I’m saving my best friend.” The roar from below seemed to echo painfully in the industrial room. “That was my best friend down there.”

You scowled and stared at him. “If that’s how you treat your friends—what the fuck do you do to your enemies?”

He shrugged. “Don’t care about them.”

You stared down again as the man roared at you and began stalking around again. “What the fuck?!”

Ken’s voice was softer, almost regretful. “What you’re looking at is all that’s left of my best friend. Ryu was like a brother to me. And now all that’s left of my buddy is...that.”

You couldn’t stop staring. “What happened to him?”

The doors behind you opened again and you looked over your shoulder. A ridiculously bony man with dark skin came in. His head was shaved bald and he wore strangely lumpy jewelry that you were suddenly glad you couldn’t see properly in the dim light because at a glance, it looked like skulls or something. He wore raggedly thin pants and seemed too exhausted to do more than stagger over to you.

His voice had a strange lilt as he whispered, “This is all that left of him after the Dark Hado.”

You shuddered violently, as you seemed to be freezing and hot at the same time. Strangely, when you went back to the edge of the balcony, it seemed to get even hotter. You were about to faint in the waves of heat. The new man pulled you away and tutted, “Come away, child. We will explain it all.”

He pulled you and Ken away. Apparently both of them had key cards and were free to go wherever they wanted. Ken ambled behind you as you followed the new man down a hallway to show you a utilitarian commercial kitchen. Everything was steel—the benches, the long table, the sturdy shelves and the countertops. There was a battered slow cooker that had a green light on the bottom, and a pot of coffee.

“I am Dhalsim,” he said as he opened the cooker. He glanced at you with a small smile. “I do not suppose that you have heard of me?”

You shook your head in confusion as Ken pushed you down on one of the steel benches. Dhalsim opened a cabinet and pulled out a stack of three heavy plastic bowls. He spooned out rice and fished around to find some battered spoons. You were surprised that it was not bland—there were definite tastes of cinnamon and something else as well as almonds, raisins and peas—and you held your bowl as you stared at him. “Uhhh...sorry?”

“It is fine that you have not.” He shrugged and picked up his serving of rice. “I am not offended—It means that you have heard nothing bad.”

“That’s ancient history, Dhalsim,” Ken said as he began wolfing down his portion of rice. “Not a problem.”

“It still remains to be said,” he sighed. “Nothing is to be hidden. The man you saw was Ryu. He was... a good friend to both Ken and I. He was a strong, disciplined man—.”

Ken interrupted, “He loved martial arts more than anything.”

Dhalsim said nothing, as if he was well used to being interrupted. “He had a fine future ahead of him as well. He was considered one of the most talented martial artists of his generation.” He shrugged again. “He was going to become a legend. Then, he faced his greatest foe—named Akuma. Akuma was—.”

Ken snarled, “He was a monster, Dhalsim.”

“He was to face Akuma in the ring. Their fight was to be beautiful, a testament to the power of determination and discipline and everything that martial arts is about.” He looked down at the bowl of rice in his hands. “Everyone was waiting for the battle of a generation.

“And, he was going to win. He did win. But the Dark Hado is not so easily beaten. Akuma’s power came from the darkness—the evil in the universe and when he hit the ground, his evil manifested into a cloud that surrounded the ring.”

Ken interrupted again. “We were taught to use the Hado for self defense, for, you know, good stuff. Ryu had mastered it, used it to fairly defeat Akuma. And when he was done, the Dark Hado possessed him.” He shoved away the bowl and growled. “That’s what’s left. What a fucking impossible disaster.”

“It is not—,”

“Don’t you dare tell me that it’s not impossible,” Ken snarled, pounding his fist on the steel table. “We gotta find a way.”

“All that I can do is to try and contain him. There is nothing that you or I can do to try to recover him.”

“We have to try!”

Ken shot to his feet and his rice spilled across the table. Dhalsim watched him stomp out with a long-suffering patience. Finally, he said, “You will have to understand. He spent more than ten years living and studying with Ryu and Ryu’s master—Gouken. They were inseparable—closer than brothers—and he has never recovered from his loss.”

You nodded slowly, staring at your rice. “My friend—back at the bar—said... there was a divorce.”

He nodded again. “He managed to get to me and we contained Ryu, brought him here. Then, Ken spent every moment here, trying to find a cure.” He shrugged again philosophically. “In some ways, it was not surprising that his wife became lonely and sought other company. She spent more than ten months alone as we kept trying to work out the containment.” He didn’t seem able to meet your eyes and his voice dropped to a low whisper. “And then Ken was in the news when Ryu escaped.”

Your closed your eyes, sure you didn’t want to hear this—and you were right. “He killed.” You shuddered again and the bowl shook in your hands. “While I am not so serene and at peace yet to say that Vega’s death was a loss to humanity, it became a media nightmare. He was slaughtered dishonorably—Ryu ripped him to pieces afterwards—and Ken was blamed because he was there trying to clean up the mess after I brought Ryu back here.

“There was constant media coverage and none of it was good. That did not help his marriage. She sought comfort and company and found that he was lost to grief. He lost his brother, his compass and the teacher that he loved as much as a second father since Akuma killed Gouken. He was blind to her comfort and deaf to her needs. It does not excuse her fully, but it does explain what has happened.”

“What a mess,” you sighed.

He nodded and continued. “Ken is now looking for redemption. He lost half of everything to the divorce. Then corporate raiders, led by his enemies, took much of what was left. Now, he has funneled most everything into making this a safe haven for Ryu. To try to afford whatever was needed to support his brother.”

“You make it sound like... a fairy tale.” You shook your head. “What am I supposed to do? Kiss him?”

“It is, I suppose, like that. All that remains is to break the curse,” he said in a tone that was lost to morbid hope. “It is a difficult task, but I do not believe it is impossible.”

You shook your head to clear it. This was far too confusing. You had been kidnapped and brought here, right? And heaven only knew what that man Ryu, had gone through and now was chained now. What was supposed to happen next?

A final part of you wanted to just figure out that last question. “So...what do I need to do? I mean—it’s not like I’m some kind of witch or something.”

He nodded shortly. It seemed that he held a whole range of emotions and expressions in that slight movement. “Indeed.... But it is a good thing you are not. We had a witch here, once. Rose tried every single incantation she knew. She tried to contain him, but his curse—the Dark Hado—was too much for even her considerable skill.”

“So what do you think I could do?” You tried not to think about what the past tense words might mean. “It’s not like I know anything at all about this.”

Dhalsim shrugged and gave a grimace that suggested that he was not considering that a bad thing. “The Dark Hado is not the answer Ryu thought it was. Of course, life is filled with darkness—sadness, anger, hatred, jealousy, and agony of all kinds—but to embrace the power of those things, that is what began his dark journey. Ryu lost the way first when he found his master slaughtered by Akuma. He began his journey to revenge his father’s death. He embraced the Dark Hado more and more as he pursued Akuma.

“And then when he defeated his enemy, he was... lost. He had defeated his greatest foe, the murderer of his father and teacher. He had become the strongest fighter in the world. And all it cost was his soul. He sacrificed everything—all the discipline, all the strength, all the of the good—and he had become a soulless killing machine that ripped apart people for sport.”

Dhalsim paused thoughtfully and looked at you thoughtfully. “I knew him as well as any, I suppose. I admired his discipline, his drive and determination. I saw him at that fight. I had been eliminated quite some time earlier and could watch from the floor. I saw his final blow—I could see the black ki, the darkness seeping off of him like a plague—and his final move ripped Akuma’s head almost off his shoulders.

“Akuma’s body fell. It was surprising that he was in a whole piece as much as Ryu hit him. But when the body did finally fall, it was...not a body. Only a charred and smoking skeleton hit the floor. I saw the the demon spirit flow out of the skeleton and into Ryu as he stood there. Everyone who had been cheering saw the dark cloud float for a moment, and then... it poured into his mouth. It was not like smoke—smoke would rise and float away. It was deliberate, moving like it was alive—and it filled him.” He made a gesture with his hand. “And then... Ryu was... possessed.”

“And you think I can help with... a possession?”

He shook his head again. “It is not so simple as that. You are thinking about... salt rings and such. Too much television. No.... I—.”

“You...what?”

“I...,” he flushed in some dark way you wouldn’t have thought with his leathery dark skin. “...I saw you in a vision. That you were the one who could help.”

“What am I supposed to do?!”

“The way to fight such emptiness is to fill it. To make some connection, no matter how small, to the man that is still inside. The Dark Hado is emptiness, negativity. It is great power, but it is a greedy, jealous master that demands complete isolation from everything that is still good in this world.”

“Uhh... I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

“No, you are the right one. But I cannot know if you will be able to do it.”

“You’re talking about what? Me getting dumped in that pit to do what? Make that... man somehow human again?”

He smirked slightly and shook his head. “I know it is a lot to take in right now. But you must understand that we are desperate. He is the—.”

“Yeah, yeah. Most powerful and most skilled and most whatever.”

“He is in the center of the storm. He is the center of the storm. If you can heal him, then much will go back right.” His dark eyes went to the door. “Ken blames himself for it, you see. He blames himself that he was the one to first tempt Ryu into street fighting, rather than becoming a teacher like his adopted father. Ken blames himself for not being there when Gouken was killed. He has made this to contain Ryu, but he is the one trapped.”

“And...that’s supposed to help his marriage and stuff?”

“No... but healing him will allow him to concentrate on regaining what has been lost. A man may not serve two masters and he has been torn into pieces trying to regain the lost Masters’ fortune and helping his friend. He will regain much when he is finally at peace with his long lost brother.”

“Then what?”

“When they are reunited, then they can reach the others. You see, the street fights and tournaments are not only a place to prove their prowess, but it was like a family for each of them. And a family cannot live without its heart. When they are rejoined, then the others will come again. Then the universe will be balanced again.”

“You make it sound like it’s the fate of the world in the balance.”

“Perhaps it is because they were the only ones who would... or perhaps even could, stop Bison and the forces of Shadowloo.”

You shook your head. “You’re crazy. What do a bunch of martial artists have to do with an international terrorist organization?”

Dhalsim only shook his head. “I will show you to your quarters.”

Your quarters were... utilitarian. There was a bunk, a bedside table, a desk and chair that looked like they came out of an old office somewhere. There was a steel door to a closet and another steel door to a microscopic bathroom. (The one on the bus was probably bigger.) On every door was that sigil and you saw several of the leather bags hanging around—even one on the steel enclosed overhead light in your room.

You were annoyed, but there seemed to be nothing left to do but get some sleep. The only problem was that it was absolutely silent. Once you turned off the overhead light—there was no lamp or alarm clock—the room was entirely silent. And entirely dark. It was like being in a cave or some underground place. Still, despite all of the stress and confusion, you were exhausted enough to fall asleep. There were no dreams, though. You would have thought this strange situation would have prompted all sorts of nightmares. Instead, there was only blackness and nothingness until you awoke the next morning. It was terrifying to wake up and feel like the dark and remote place had extinguished even your nighttime visions.

Dhalsim was sitting in the kitchen again when you got there. You weren’t sure how he knew you were coming, but he had warm hard-boiled eggs, juice, milk, toast and coffee waiting on your arrival. There was even hot water and a small box of teabags. You grabbed enough to get your body moving, and began eating.

“So what are you going to do?” he asked calmly.

“I am gonna get out of here,” you hissed.

He snorted and shrugged. This one was obviously a “good luck with that”. Instead of arguing, he said, “Perhaps you will come with me to the observation area.”

There was nothing else you could do—the entire place was silent and mostly dark. It was like you were in another world entirely. You didn’t see Ken anywhere and Dhalsim obviously didn’t carry anything more than you saw. But there was nothing else to do—not even a radio or television—and you finally followed after him.

The pit was not any different. There were the chains and the man in them was staggering back and forth as if he was sleepwalking. He would hit the edge of the glyph and recoil as if he was hitting a brick wall. His eyes were hooded and almost closed and, at last, you could see the heavy bags under his eyes. He was exhausted, and, for a terrifying moment, it seemed like he was smoking. He was smoking—boils of dark clouds were floating off his skin and going nowhere because it seemed that he was breathing it in as fast as it was floating off of him.

Finally, he collapsed, dropping to the ground despite the slight sizzling sound and the distinct air of burning. You shook as you saw him sag to the ground. The man just seemed to give up as he hit the dry, dusty ground. You shuddered to see him groan and collapse.

Dhalsim sighed and nodded. “It is good to see him like this.”

“Good?! You call torturing a man until he collapses like this good?”

His soft chuckle was dry and humorless. “It is good that he is finally wearing down, that you are not seeing him at his full strength. It took him four days this time to wear down and collapse.”

“Four—four days? Did you say... four days?! Because I thought you said it was four days!” You reached up and slapped him. “What kind of monster are you?!”

That seemed to make him even more amused. “How interesting that you call me a monster.” His laugh was as dark as the shadows. “The last one to call me a monster....”

“What?!”

“You do not need to worry. He is doing well for himself,” the yogi reassured you. “The last anyone heard, he was traveling in Brazil and the jungles, arranging for the smallest villages to have emergency electricity.” His bony shoulders shrugged. “He has been recognized as a hero, helping those in need—even if he seems to enjoy mojitos and joints too much. At least he is happy.”

You stared at him and then at the man below. He followed your stare and nodded. “The first time I saw him wear down, it was eleven days. Before this one, it was six days and most of the times before that it has been between seven and eight.”

“So... four days is an improvement.”

“In one sense of the word, yes. It is good that he is wearing down because now we can risk feeding him, cleaning him. In another, it is tragic because it means that he is not able to fight the Dark Hado ripping him apart.” He turned away. “The body can only take so much abuse, so much torture, before it is ripped apart. The Dark Hado is feeds and consumes the body as much as the soul. Without salvation, even he will fall, release the Dark Hado that consumed the soul of Akuma. He will release the demon.” He gave you a sideways glance, ignoring the groan rising from Ryu. “If you cannot find it in your heart to save him, then I ask you to think of whoever might fall victim to that darkness next.”

You followed him to another room and silently helped him gather a metal cart of simple foods and water bottles and such. You were compelled to ask, “And who would be next?”

He paused for a moment and cocked his bald head thoughtfully. “It would be most likely be Ken.” At your growling gasp, he nodded to himself and added, “While I am physically less massive, I have far more spiritual defense than he. And he is falling to darkness, to its allure and temptation, even now as he struggles to find a way to save his friend and himself. Look at how he brought you here, after all. And the darkness is like most things in nature—flowing from the high, resistant rocks to the lower, softer plains.”

He checked the cart and then the subject. “Now, shall we go to him?”

It was mind-numbing how many twists and turns and heavy steel doors you pushed the rattling cart through. Of course, no elevators which made sense only when you realized that this was a prison. It was a terrifying thing to think about living in a prison like this, but there was nothing else to be done. Curiosity made you follow far more closely than you might have—and far closer than your normal common sense would have said you should be.

The last doors—two sets of double doors that he had to pull with his entire body—clanged shut behind you and you were suddenly beside the huge glyph, staring at Ryu. He was... huge. He had bulging muscles in places you weren’t sure that there even could be. Even slumped over like this, he seemed to just be huge.

But... he was not well. You didn’t need to know any medicine or any first aid to see that. His hair was gnarled and tangled and matted with dirt and oil and sweat. His skin was gray with exhaustion as if he hadn’t slept in four days. There were immense bruises and scrapes along the skin you could see and crusty red trails underneath the bands around his neck and ankles. When he did open those flaming red eyes at you, it wasn’t anger or rage, but some kind of anxiously deep.... Was it depression in those eyes?

Dhalsim sighed and took out the metal bowl he had filled with some kind of fried rice that was dotted with peas and carrot cubes and vegetables and fried egg. “We have a lovely fried rice today, my friend. Do you feel like eating today?” Ryu looked up at him and grunted sourly. “We have a new friend for you to meet as well.” Without waiting for a reply, he came forward with a thick plastic spoon. “Shall we begin?”

The voice that replied was scarily deep, as if someone had reverberated and shoved it to some unearthly depth. “Come back for more, Dhalsim?”

“More for you to eat,” he said.

“What about the bitch?” His eyes flickered to you. “Is she for me to eat?”

“Absolutely not!” you sputtered.

“Pity,” he snarled. He licked his lips theatrically—disgusting you. “You look... sweet.”

“Absolutely—. You are the worst... most disgusting... swine!”

He laughed again. “You are too much—sweetheart.”

Dhalsim was nonplussed and simply stuffed a spoonful of rice in his mouth. You yelped at Ryu bit down on it, swallowed, then spat out the spoon. It clattered to the floor and seemed to spark a bit as it bounced. The Indian rolled his eyes and shook his head silently, and bent to retrieve the spoon. “That is not the manners you were taught.”

“Let me out of here and you’ll never have to worry about my manners again,” he laughed. He rolled those flaming eyes towards you. “Or—let me out and close the door behind you and I’ll keep myself busy here.”

“Not in the slightest. I cannot until you can behave.”

Ryu growled, but consented to being fed—slowly, bite by bite. You swallowed heavily as he consumed the immense bowl of fried rice. It was a terrifying amount of food and he gobbled it like it was nothing. Every few bites, he would growl at you with rice dribbling out of his mouth. You had never seen such molten hate in someone else’s eyes.

Finally, you had enough. “Whatever your problem is—get over it!”

Ryu snorted and blinked. He swallowed that bite and... ever so slowly grinned at you. The yogi seemed utterly startled and was frozen stiff as he watched the other man guffaw. “A spitting cat, huh, Dhalsim?”

You felt... overwhelmingly relieved that Dhalsim seemed surprised and backed up a step. His dark eyes flashed between the two of you as if he couldn’t ask questions fast enough. Finally, he glowered at Ryu and slid the bowl to you, palming the spoon in his hand. “If you wish.”

You stared at the food in the bowl and the heavy spoon. Ryu’s eyes glistened, flaming red as he stared at you. Gathering your courage, you dug the spoon in the food and shoved the spoon into his mouth. Instantly, he bit down on the plastic and tossed his head. The handle jerked out of your hand and wove around as he grinned like a maniac.

You blustered, “Well, then—if you insist on behaving like a monster—you’ll just have to go without!” 

His eyes flared with angry fire as Dhalsim gasped. “You bitch!”

“That’s it! You are... are going to bed without supper,” you snapped. “Come along.”

The Indian yogi was surprised, but followed you without comment. Ryu began cursing—a quite interesting mix of profanity in a variety of languages—as you walked away. You followed him with the bowl in your hands, muttering some curses yourself. You went straight to the kitchen and dumped the remainder in the trash can.

“Well, that is a... surprising approach,” he said dryly. “Any idea what we are supposed to do next?”

“What a... vile, stupid, arrogant—!” You slammed the heavy dish and spoon down in the sink. You glared at the man standing there. “Who does he think he is?”

Dhalsim did not answer. Instead, he helped you put the dishes and pot and utensils and whatnot in the dishwasher. Then he led you silently through the hallways and into a few new rooms. One was a gym—did all men just naturally want heavy weights and stuff in their living areas? Then an office with stacks of books and scrolls and stuff that looked like it came out of a witch’s coven from a bad movie. Next was a utility room with a huge washer and dryer. Then another room that was littered with video games and controllers and had an older television on the wall.

“We are not savages,” he murmured. “There are a few creature comforts here to relieve any boredom.”

You nodded slowly. “Is there anything to read?”

“Of course. Do you read Hindi or Sanskrit?”

You groaned. “I was looking for like a magazine or something. Maybe something to read in a tub.”

“Tub?”

“Fine. No tub. No magazines.”

“I think we can rig something.” Then he gave you a small smirk. “Give me a moment.”

To your surprise, you found he had rigged a huge trashcan with a small stool in it. There was a pile of magazines—unsurprisingly a number of martial arts and game magazines and an odd catalogue that listed herbs and plants and crystals and candles and things you had no way to figure out what they were used for. It was... kind of touching in a way. The water was warm and there were two towels. You bathed—as well as you could—and paged through the magazines, hoping to find something interesting.

Then you realized that there were... several articles about... Ryu. There were a few black and white photographs from what was apparently a recent tournament of some kind. It was hard to understand some of it with your less than perfect understanding of martial arts. From what you could gather, Ryu was considered an expert, a master. You saw the name “Akuma” several times as well—mainly declaring him a newcomer and a fierce fighter. Knowing him made the articles more interesting when otherwise you would have thought they were boring.

You stared at one of the photos of Ryu. He was in a ring or something and you saw the shorter MC gaping at the fighter as he offered the trophy to him. Ryu looked off to his right, his arms crossed over his almost bare chest. It was strange to see him like that, his features calm and serene as his eyes seemed to look for something out of the photo. He was actually quite handsome like that.

The rest of the day was quiet as you rattled around, trying different doors. Ken glowered at you over the edge of his laptop from his quarters before you backed out in embarassment. Dhalsim was in a room with candles, folded in some improbable way and muttering softly as he was surrounded by candles and burning incense. There were two rooms that were storage—boxes, crates of dishes and silverware, cans and bags of food, boxes of candles, tins of tea bags, all sorts of things—and another that was an empty bedroom.

You explored the empty bedroom you found. It was strange to be in here—so obviously prepared for someone, but so empty. There was a huge bag—canvas and heavy and tied shut—and a set of ragged white pants and a ragged, sleeveless jacket folded into a neat pile on the corner of the bed. The closet was empty—not even shoes—and the bed was made crisply. You touched the sheets, trying to figure out what was making you feel... some odd sense of connection.

In a few hours, you managed to find your way back to the kitchen. Ken was standing over the stove, stirring a pot of what appeared to be some kind of stew. He gave you a sour smirk and said, “Hey there, babe. You ready for Mama Masters’ special stew?”

You stuck your nose over the side of the pot and saw mushrooms, onions, carrots, and what might be beef. “Smells good.”

The blond man nodded absently. You went to grab some bowls and set the table. Thankfully, it was a stainless steel table because he simply took the hot pot of stew and just set it down. “We’ll eat well tonight, at least. Here—you look a little shellshocked. Sit down and eat something worth eating.”

You were surprised—it was actually amazingly good. Simple—and served with sliced white bread—but delicious. “This is amazing.”

He finally gave you a smile that seemed genuine. “It was the recipe my mom got from my maw-maw. She didn’t have much, but there was always good food on the table.”

You scooped up another bite, looking at the third bowl. “Is... uhh...?”

“Dhalsim? He’s... among other things—vegetarian.” He daubed his slice of bread in the thick broth and gobbled it. “So’s Ryu. Or, at least, he was.” He shrugged slightly, staring at the thick bowl in front of him. “Now—I don’t even know.”

You puffed out a breath. “I’ll try again. Maybe he’ll be hungry enough that he won’t be screaming at me.”

“What?!”

“I told him—well, never mind.” You flushed in embarrassed pride—or something. “I suppose that I should go try again.”

He nodded sourly, but said nothing else. You picked up the bowls and spoons, staring at the empty one thoughtfully. There was an heavy duty dishwasher that you dumped the dirty dishes into it and you scooped out another serving in the last bowl. He watched you as your movements suddenly slowed as you pulled out a slice of bread and put it on top. “You... you’re going back?!”

“I feel kind of bad. I shouted at him that... that if he couldn’t behave, he’d go without supper.” He chuckled and you felt your whole body turn red. “I feel really bad about that.”

He nodded and rocked back a little on his feet. “You really got some guts, babe.” The pot was empty enough that he scraped what was left into yet another bowl and put the pot in the dishwasher. Mechanically, he started it up. “If you’re going back into the pit, I’m going to go with you.” He gave you a wink that was mischievous and you were curious how many women fell to that boyish expression. “Just to keep him safe from you, right?”

That made you laugh and you nodded. “Sure.”

You were walking down the hallway when you finally asked him, “So... what happened? I mean... Dhalsim told me that he... was taken over by the dark side or something. But... how did I get drug into it?”

“Oh that. Dhalsim saw you in a vision. Told me that you were Ryu’s last chance and that if I missed you, then we’d better just... well... You know.”

“A vision? Like... he... dreamed me up?”

“Yeah. I know—he’s on some weird stuff and his candles and crystals and stuff and sees visions and stuff. But, he hasn’t led me wrong—now that I’ve started listening.” He looked like he was torn between chuckling and just turning red. “I didn’t listen all the time—and things were worse because of it.” He did a half shrug. “But he must have been right about one thing at least—you’ve got more moxie than anyone I’ve seen to... want to go back into the pit.”

You weren’t going to admit that you were actually getting more scared the more he talked, but at least he shut up. You went back to through the hallways—catching a small glimpse of the yogi as he muttered and meditated in his circle of candles and burnt herbs—and finally got to the double metal doors. Ken glanced at you meaningfully, but nodded and let you in anyway.

You were vaguely surprised that Ryu was asleep in a lump on the floor. You felt shivers go down your spine as you realized he was sobbing in his sleep. You caught some of the words, but not all of them. “... don’t want to... don’t kill... don’t kill... I am not—not like you! Where is my... My Father! I’m the best—aren’t I?! Where are you? Don’t kill! Don’t—want to hurt... anyone. Fuck. I will kill you all! Kill you... all! ...No!”

You shuddered, unexpectedly teary eyed. What was he talking about? Did you really want to know? “Hey... handsome. Wake up.”

He jerked suddenly, leaping to his feet. It seemed to make him unbalanced and he staggered as he stared wearily at you. “What the fuck are you doing here, bitch?! Going to scream some more?”

You shook your head slightly. “I’m sorry—I....” You raised the bowl slightly. “I brought you some dinner.”

That made him stop, looking at you as if you had purple skin and grown a new head. He knelt on the ground—still massive and muscular—but for the moment quiescent. You took a hesitant step forward and he grinned as you. Finally you scooped up some stew in the spoon. Sliding forward another step or two, you took a deep breath and stuffed it into his mouth.

For once, he didn’t scream or shout. Instead, he only accepted the bite of stew, released the spoon, chewed and swallowed. He finally muttered, “No airplane noises?”

That made you feel suddenly... weird. So, you got another spoonful and made the stupidest airplane noises you could. You even waggled the the spoon up and down. He grinned and for a half second, you thought you could see dark brown eyes with only a little red flame. He slurped down the bite eagerly enough—even letting you feed him a hasty corner of the broth soaked bread.

“Mama Masters’ stew wins another fan,” Ken crowed, waving his hand with two fingers up in a V for Victory.

Unfortunately, that broke the tenuous spell. Ryu took one look at him and leapt past you, knocking you to the floor. The stew spilled, the bowl hit the wall with such force that a chip went spinning off. Your head hit the stone and you blearily grabbed for the spoon to hold it in front of you.

The beast side of him was back—roaring and snapping in wordless curses at the blond man. He even took a few steps backwards, only to run forward at full strength with a clang of snapping chains. “You bastard! You son-of-a-bitch—you let our master die!”

That finally made the blond angry. His fists raised and he leapt forward himself. You saw punches and kicks, heard the sickening sound of flesh destroying flesh, and screamed. That made Ken stop for an instant—his eyes wide and worried at you—and Ryu slammed his head into the other man’s cheek. Ken reeled back, his face red and half swollen and a nasty cut on his sharp cheekbones. He leapt forward again long enough to grab your shoulder and your arm to pull you along the floor, away from the bound man.

“Ken—you pussy—you can’t take me! You can’t do this to me! I’ll get out and I’ll kill you! Don’t take her away! You can’t! You fucking faggot—I’ll get you and your blonde bitch Eliza too!”

He kept screaming as you scrambled to your feet. The whole room smelled of beef stew, but there was no helping the shattered bowl. You looked up into his eyes and saw that they were flaming even more now—red burning torches in dim light of the pit. It made him even more demonic looking.

You shuddered in fear and backed up, your face white and your stomach in knots. Whatever you might have seen, it was gone now, leaving behind a monster. Looking up at Ken, you ran to the door and clawed frantically at it. He must have locked it behind you—but you weren’t going to stick around a moment longer than you had to.

Ken growled, rubbing his cheek and spitting out some blood. “You’re a miserable.... I can’t even—.”

Ryu’s voice cracked and he began leaping, battling he chains and trying to rip through the heavy coat binding his arms. “Don’t! You can’t do this to me! We were friends!” He cursed again—long and hard and panting as he kept struggling. “You fucker—you want her for yourself, don’t you?! Are you fucking her, too?”

Ken seemed to grow cold as he walked away from him. His eyes lost their sparkle and he spun back around on his heel and went to let you out. He walked slowly despite your frantic pace, his eyes not even looking around as he went through the tedious process of unlocking and locking the doors. You, on the other hand, couldn’t move away fast enough and kept pacing as he was slogging through the hallways.

When he finally got you back to the real rooms—what you thought might be the ground floor—he sighed and shoved his keys into his pocket. “I’m sorry about that. He’s been wild and uncontrollable ever since this happened.”

You shook your head, shivering from head to foot. “I’m.... I’m.... S-s-s-so... w-w-what..?”

“You could use a drink, babe,” he frowned. He leaned forward slightly, as if he was whispering secrets. “Don’t tell the D man, but I have a little bit of vodka in my room.”

You let him lead you to his room and he pushed a small paper cup of vodka in your hand. You shuddered, but drank it anyway. He poured himself a larger portion and plopped down on the bed, staring dejectedly at the wall.

“It doesn’t help that he’s right—we were friends.” He slugged half his drink down. “If I’d have been there, maybe the two of us could have stopped Akuma before he killed Master Gouken.” He took another big gulp and then refilled his glass. “Maybe he wouldn’t be like this if I hadn’t missed my flight and been able to help.”

You took another sip, feeling the burn of the alcohol in your throat. “Is... is that what happened?”

“I guess it’s not important now, is it?” He kept staring and drank some more. “I mean... I guess I can’t undo it—so all we can do is go forward. Maybe... maybe if he gets better, then we all can leave this prison, huh?”

You stared at him as he drank another heavy swallow, an idea forming. It was pathetically easy to keep him talking, keep him drinking. He never got to visit Master Gouken because he missed the flight. He had been so sure he could get another flight out of the states and... they seemed to have all the time in the world for a reunion. Then Ryu had faced Akuma alone and been so bitterly defeated that he hadn’t spoken for a week as his bones knit. That had been the trigger, hadn’t it? He had spent that silent week vowing to defeat Akuma, avenge his adopted father. Then he had roamed the tournaments, looking for his prey. And then, even when he won, he lost because he had lost his soul. He was close to finishing the bottle when he finally stopped babbling. Then, without even seeming to notice you anymore, he just plopped on the bed and began snoring.

It was easy to gently pry the keys out of Ken’s pocket. He didn’t even stop snoring as you tugged on them or when you crept out of the room. You staggered out, trying to remember all of the twists and turns. You would occasionally get to a locked door and spend an embarrassingly long time picking through keys to figure out which key went where. Then you’d go through and look for the next door.

“It is late to be walking, miss,” Dhalsim whispered behind you.

You looked over your shoulder at the skinny man who was grinning at you. “Uhh... I like late night walks?”

“If that is the case, then I would not go through that door,” he nodded, as if he fully expected that answer. “But then, if you leave, you will... always wonder, correct?”

“Wonder? About what?!” you snapped sourly as you hunted for the key.

“If you could have helped him, of course.” His smug smile was out of your reach—he was too tall by half—but it did make you stop for a moment. “He has not been lucid—or humorous—in over a year.” That made you stop and stare at him. “I was observing from the bridge. Above you.”

You did stop at that, staring at him. Ken was right—he was absolutely sure that he knew exactly what he was talking about. “You’ve been smoking something.” He rolled his shoulders. “He’s a beast.”

Dhalsim waved his hands and suddenly had a tiny book in his hand. “Perhaps a little light reading.” Your hands shook as you took the book from him. “And... if you do not mind, I will take those keys. They are not yours after all.”

And with that, his arms... stretched. Or he leaned. Or something. Suddenly his hand was right over yours and plucking the keys from your grip. Then, just as quietly, he walked away. You took in a shaky breath and looked at the book in your palm. It was so worn that the leather was starting to flake and the gilded letters of the title were barely readable.

“Beauty and the Beast”

You slept fitfully that night. It was like your own confusion had twisted into some kind of ridiculous whirl of fairy tale characters—pirates, fairies, knights, barbarians, scarecrows, and wandering heroes of all kinds—and then set you in the middle of a tornado of them. You woke at some point—this place had no windows or anything that might help you tell time—and found a lukewarm cup of tea next to you.

You slurped it down, thumbing through the small book. The classic fairy tale was there in all its glory—the father who became poor, the miraculous ship that was supposed to restore their fortunes, the disappointment that the ship was lost after all, the plucking of the rose and the fateful bargain afterwards, then the beautiful and dutiful and virtuous daughter going to the beast and true love winning the day. For such a short story, the book was thick with beautiful illustrations of the beauty, the father, the ship being tossed on the rough seas and sinking, the rose, the beast. It was strange that all of the illustrations were so vivid in the obviously well paged book. The rose was so brilliantly red you could almost smell it. The fairy was gilded with thin golden lines in a network on her wings and along the hems of her dress. The beauty looked a little like you and seemed like a religious icon with flowing hair and downcast eyes as she looked down in a modest pose.

But the full page illustration of the beast was most striking. You had seen the movies—the almost handsome cartoons and the faintly leonine live action versions—but this was... something else. The face was vaguely human, but the fur was curiously illustrated as matted and strangely gleaming as if he had sweated through the night. There were sharp pointed goat’s horns—quite obviously he was meant to look almost satanic—and long, furry ears. His clothes were dark and ragged and he was wrapped in his clothes tightly. There was a thick metal collar around his neck with broken chains dripping down from it. But it was his eyes—flaming red pinpricks on the page that seemed to stare into your soul.

Why were you hearing Ryu’s cries as you stared at him?

Ryu’s broken voice was in your ears as the beast spoke. Every page seemed that he was more tightly bound. You shuddered to see him laying on the floor with the Madonna crying over him. Ryu had been asleep like that just last night. Were you... crying over this simple fairy tale? You finished it quickly, staring at the final page with the beauty and the beast—a dark haired and muscular man that looked like the street fighter—were kissing.

You shuddered as the book closed and you stood up to take the cup to the kitchen. Strangely, no one seemed to be around—the entire place was quiet—and you started wandering to see what you could find to do. Maybe you could return this book? It was obviously an expensive book with such beautiful illustrations and the leather cover. Someone would probably miss it—it might even be part of a set.

You were wandering around—every hallway was a smooth concrete floor with anonymous steel doors with painted glyphs and concrete blocks—when you realized that you were looking at the bridge over the pit. Strange that you had simply picked up the language the other two used to refer to the this place—the ‘brig’ or the ‘pit’. You crept up to the edge, to simply stare down and try to figure out what you were supposed to be doing now....

The silence was strange after all of the roaring and cursing. Ryu was simply pacing the small amount he could, back and forth and twisting like a maniac at every turn. You were going to back away, but he looked up at you from underneath the shaggy hair at his brow, his eyes red and staring at you.

“Uhh...sorry. I’m... uh... I’m going. I’m just... leaving.” You vaguely waved the small book at him. “I... err, wanted to uhh... return this.”

“Are you here to stare at the beast?” he snarled at you.

“No!”

“They do!” he snarled in reply, leaping forward with a choked thud of chains. “They think I can’t see them up there, staring at me like vultures. But I do and they—.”

It made you shiver, but... his roar wasn’t nearly so deafening. He seemed... coherent and... maybe the book was making you a bit crazy, but you wanted to just talk to him. “I’m sorry,” you murmured. The concrete walls made even your whisper bounce around and echo. “I’ll leave you alone—.”

“No!” he snarled. His face twisted into a scowl that frightened you as he stared right at you. “No—don’t.”

“Don’t?”

“No...don’t leave me... alone.” He paced and seemed to stretch clumsily. Finally he sat down and stared at you. “Is... what is it like?”

“What’s what like?”

“Out... outside.” He rolled his head restlessly. “I... miss the outside. I miss being outside and walking.” His eyes narrowed. “I used to love walking everywhere.”

“Outside?” You thought about it for a moment. “It’s... warm.” Finally you knelt on the bridge looking down at him. “I was able to walk to work and everyone was in shorts.”

“Shorts?”

“Yeah. There were two bars besides mine on the street and they were able to open their patios. They were even able to serve beers and cocktails out there. And there were all kinds of lights and music.”

You were actually having a soothing moment, talking about boring stuff. The place you worked, the neighborhood you lived in. The grocery store with the nice old lady who fed the stray cats out the back door and always seemed to have kittens for anyone who asked for one. The school you went to and your favorite restaurant and the mall you would walk for hours, staring at the windows. The library in your town and the free concerts you occasionally went to.

And he was having a moment of peace, too. You weren’t talking about anything special—just normal stuff—but it was seeming to soothe the savage beast. He was standing, then kneeling, then sitting and just listening to you. He didn’t even really ask questions—not anything more than to ask you to keep talking—but he was so focused on you that there didn’t seem to be anything else.

You were running out of things to say—and your mouth was ridiculously dry—when he gave you a fierce grimace. “I... wish I could see it.”

“See what?”

“All of it.” He sighed and struggled to stretch. “I want to see the sun. The stars and moon.” He grimaced again. “There’s not even cockroaches in this forsaken place.” His face grinned up at you. “Would you believe that I’d be happy to see even a mosquito?”

“Uhhh....” You swallowed nervously. “Hey... I gotta go... uhh....” He leapt up with a roar. “Just to the bathroom. Get a drink of water.”

Your throat hurt to try to shout over his roar. It was all gone—all the stillness and talking—and the beast was back, pacing and snarling and roaring. You ran around until you found a bathroom and could get a cup of water from the kitchen. The concrete seemed to vibrate with anger and your hand shook as you held the glass under the thin stream of water.

You finally had your glass of water—refilled twice because your throat was simply that dry—and staggered back to the pit. The air was filled with curses and roars and the rattling of chains. Then there was the occasional pained yelp before he turned from the edge of the charmed circle and kept pacing.

“Yo!” you shouted as loudly as you could. “Calm down! I am back.”

There was a sudden silence as Ryu froze in place. His eyes went up to you doubtfully. Finally he nodded and plopped down. “Finally. You came back.” His voice rose in glee as he finally settled down again. “You need to stay there.”

“So... don’t gloat. I’m back.” You waved the book. “Sorry—but this is all I’ve got in the way of entertainment.” He let out a sour grunt. “I guess I’ll asked the guys if there’s....” You paused and thought for a moment. “Hey—just wait a minute—I saw some magazines that you might like.”

“I don’t like this game,” he hissed.

“I saw that you were in some of the articles. I can find the magazines and it will at least be something interesting to you.” You set the book down on the edge of the catwalk. “Give me a minute.”

“I’ll start counting.” He rolled his shoulders and grunted. “I guess this is a game. But you better come back! Now—run! One! Two.”

You heard him counting and ran as quickly as you could. If it seemed strange that the magazines were in a stack right on top of Ken’s bed, you barely noticed it. You took the first ones you could grab and went racing back.

“Eighty-three. Eighty-four! Come back girl! Or I will find you!” His roar dimmed as he saw you again. “Now... what was so fucking important?”

You took the top one and sat down. On the cover was a photo of Ken with a beautiful blonde woman. If she wasn’t a model, it was a damn shame—she was simply that good-looking. But the photo was edited to show a split between them, along with the usual eye popping headlines. You muttered, “So here’s the cover. ‘American Shotokan Champion’s Breakup—is it the end?’ It appears to be about Ken and... Eliza Masters?”

“Tons of gold hair. Blue eyes. A real knockout if you like cheerleaders from south California?”

“That’s her if this picture is right.” You scanned the article. “It appears that she has been seen going to a club and to tournaments with another man. Men. According to this, she’s been going out frequently.”

“Read that one.”

You did read it. Then you went back to the cover, reading the headlines. “‘Honda takes national award in sumo and becomes yokozuna.’ ‘Do you have what it takes to be the next American Ninja?’”

“What’s that?”

“American Ninja? It’s uhh... it’s a weird obstacle course that is supposed to just crush athletes. Kind of like a super game show or something.” He nodded silently, his eyes keen. “Some of it seems like it should be okay. Like the pegboard event—you have to hang on to two pegs and pull one out and stick it into the next hole so that you travel down the course. Then there’s weird ones that I don’t know how you’re supposed to train for.”

“Read that one.”

So you read. And read. And talked some more. Who was favored to win the American Ninja championship? There was a mention of a retired Air Force guy opening up the American semi-finals competition this year. It was a big thing because he used to be a martial artist, but he had gone deaf, which was terrible. More information on the sumo wrestler. And then, because one can only take this for so long, you scoured the pages of advertisements in the back for amusing ones. And were not disappointed—there were the ‘official’ black belt candies with little drawn black belts on them, three ridiculous ads for... escorts, several tournament advertisements, and a rather odd looking ad for a scholarship to a Tokyo college.

You were entirely hoarse as you finished the first magazine. It was a good thing that the cement made such a perfect echo chamber, because your voice was steadily getting softer and you were exhausted. “What do you think?” He nodded silently. “We have another one. A few.”

“I can do this all day,” he muttered sourly. You shrugged and put the magazine aside. “What time is it?”

You blinked. There wasn’t a clock anywhere that you could see—and you couldn’t remember finding one in any of the other rooms. “I... I don’t know.”

“I’m hungry.”

“I’ll... get something from the kitchen.”

“Why am I so damn hungry?! Like... all the time, I’m starving! And those two jerks—they are.... Fucking losers—they can’t even let me eat.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“I’m going to be counting.”

You dug around in the kitchen, assembling a simple meal of canned spaghetti and meatballs and some buttered bread. (Okay—not healthy, but better than nothing, right?) The can said that there were two and a half servings, but as you looked at the bowl, you thought that maybe they were kidding. Or they were talking about kid portions. So you opened up another can.

Ryu was pacing again when you got back with two bowls. His counting was barely intelligible as he kept roaring the numbers. You had to shout at him to get him to stop and then he roared up at you. “So you’re finally here! What took so long?”

“So it took me a while. I had to find everything and get it hot.” Suddenly you turned red. “But... I don’t know how to get it down to you.”

He roared again. “What the fuck do you expect me to do?! Starve? Try to catch it like... like an animal in a zoo?!”

“I can’t get it down to you. What do we do?”

Ken chuckled behind you, “I’ll take you down—if he’s this coherent.”

Ryu roared up, “Fuck you, Masters!”

“Yeah, yeah.” He sighed and pulled out his keys. “Let’s go down.”

“No one else will fuck you, Masters!”

That made Ken stop in his tracks. His face went pale and he glanced at you, then the pile of magazines. His eyes were glacial cold as he turned and began leading you down. You stumbled after him, two bowls in hand. He was completely silent even when he unlocked the door and opened it for you.

Ryu let out... a dull roar to see you and leapt towards the door. “It’s about time you let her down here. What the fuck are you—?!”

“Shut it, Ryu,” he snarled back. “So here’s your meal.” He scowled at you. “We’ve been out getting some supplies. I’m going to be putting stuff away, so stay away from him as much as you can. I’ll knock when I’m back.”

Then he shoved you inside and slammed the door behind you. You scowled at him, listening to the heavy sounds of the locks turning. You shuddered, realizing that you were... actually locked in with this man. You hadn’t been here long—what did you know about this madman anyway?

“Come here,” Ryu growled at you. He lunged against the chains. “I’m... hungry.”

Puffing out a breath, you brought the bowls of food over to the edge of the circle. “I guess this is it.”

“You’re going to have to feed me.” He shifted the canvas around. “You might say I’m I’ll tied up.”

You took a step forward. “I guess... we—. I guess I can... Pour it?”

Pouring it wasn’t working—it was too thick and a meatball rolled and hit him in the nose. Now he looked more fierce because it looked like he was covered in blood. There wasn’t much else to do—no better way to do it—except to scoop some up in the bread slice. Your hand shook so much that it seemed to be about to splat on the floor.

Finally, you looked up into his flaming eyes and whispered, “D-d-d-don’t... hurt me, huh?”

He growled down at you. Who could have guessed that he was... so very... very... very large? You felt very tiny, very weak, next to him. Still, he did kneel down so that you could reach his mouth. You still trembled to bring the bit to his mouth—to those very sharp, white teeth—and held it there while he took it. He seemed to like it, though, and purred as he swallowed.

“You.... Thank you.” For a moment, his eyes were not red, but a clear brown like chocolate. “Another? Please?”

It was slow going, but you fed him everything—both bowls. He was starving, his stomach rumbling and his body shivering. He seemed to be almost purring, shaking, in pleasure like a great cat. He kept mumbling between gulps of food. Then when you had no other choice but to pick up a thumb sized meatball and bring it to his lips, he smiled. He scooped it up with his tongue, growling and chewing it with his eyes half closed.

“Another?” He stretched closer. “I want another....”

“I thought you were vegetarian?”

“I’m hungry for that. It’s delicious.”

Straining against the chains, he licked at the salty tomato sauce on your fingertips. Then, he took the tip in his mouth and suckled it in a way that gave you a shivery sort of pleasure that seemed to equal to his delight in eating. You blinked in surprise, but you couldn’t help but lean a bit closer. His tongue circled around your fingers and traced the dots of sauce and crumbs across your palms. He was precise, even delicate, as he kept it up.

His eyes were wet, tears dropping down his cheeks in wet trails. Straining and pulling against the creaking chains and nuzzled your hands. “Fuck... you feel so good. Taste good, too.”

You took a step forward and cradled his stubbly cheek. That made his whole body shake and he leaned into your hand, rubbing against you like a tiger. It brought him to his knees and he kept rubbing—his cheek, his chin... even his ears and hair. He tugged against the straightjacket, but there was no way to figure out how to get closer no matter how much he wanted. Then you took a hesitant step forward, flicking your finger under the collar of his jacket and flipping his growing hair up from where it had somehow gotten caught. He was panting, clenching his teeth, trying to hold in the howl of pleasure at your gentle touch.

The door unlocked noisily—the sound lost to his own beating heart in his ears—and Ken waltzed in. His eyes were dark and snapped strangely as he took in the two of you. “Good thing I showed up.” Your face was red as his eyes ran up and down your body. “You’re too far in the circle, babe.” Without pausing, he jerked on your shoulders and pulled you out of the circle. “Gotta keep you safe.”

“She was fine!” Ryu rumbled, his eyes flaring up like wildfire and his entire being shaking as he seemed to transform into a hideous, growling animal. “Go away!”

Ken only laughed, his hands on your shoulders tightening. “Well, here I thought that you were on your way to being cured and we can... all go our separate ways.”

“No!” he roared. He leapt forward with a rattle of chains. The metal creaked and groaned as he tried to attack. “Do... not! I don’t want—.”

Ken glowered, “Yeah, well, we all have things we don’t want. Like people leaving.” He tugged on you again. “Or friends gossiping about it and—making fun of it.”

“Please...don’t! I can’t be... alone! Not again—!”

He pulled you out, slamming the door. Then he shoved you away and stomped off. You shuddered as you watched him leave. The faint echoes of roaring sobs—pleading—came out from behind the closed door.

“Come back!” Ryu howled.

“I... I can’t!” There probably wasn’t any point of shouting—he probably couldn’t hear you. “I don’t have a key!”

“Don’t leave me alone!”

He grew more wild, his roars less and less coherent. More and more it was the sounds of a wild animal. Less and less like the sound of a man. It was worse than a book or a fairy tale—because you were here on the other side of the locked door, witnessing a man fade into beast.

You ended up sitting down, crying as you were surrounded by the roars. Your back was against the door as it rattled and vibrated with the sounds. You missed the soft steps until the yogi was right there next to you. His voice was barely heard over the sounds around you until he had spoken the second time.

“I said, ‘would you like some tea, miss’?”

You whimpered, looking up at him. Tea... sounded okay. Nodding, you wiped your face and stood up. There was nothing else to do until the next time that he was not so much a beast. He led you to the kitchen, poured you a cup of steaming tea and then added a dollop of dark brown honey.

It was surprisingly good, soothing to your throat and refreshing and bracing to your inner turmoil. “What is it?”

“What? The tea?” He shrugged slightly. “A mix of my own devising. Lavender, chamomile, mint. I add valerian if sleep is desired, but in this case, I think perhaps instead of sleep, you would prefer to talk and to relax.” He took a healthy cup for himself. “I find that for many things, you can find a great deal of support from nature in the form of a cup of hot tea and a willing ear.”

“I’m... really confused.” You took another sip and felt the honey and tea soothe your throat. “What happened?”

He gave you a smug, know-it-all smirk and an eloquent shrug. “I do not know—what do you think happened?”

“We... were talking.” He nodded. “We.... He was hungry and we were trying to figure out how to eat. Then Ken came in and... he was hacked.”

“Ahh.... I see.”

“I thought that this was... what I was supposed to be doing? Helping Ryu find his...soul I guess?”

“And what were you talking about?”

“I was reading to Ryu. We were running out of things to talk about?” You shook your head with reddened cheeks. “I don’t have an interesting life to begin with. So I went to find a few magazines and then I read to him.”

“What did you read?”

“Umm... we got through most of the first magazine.” Slow realization dawned on you. “It... it had a big article on Ken....”

“Just him?”

“And... how his wife left him. That she’s been seen at tournaments with someone else.” You groaned in embarrassment. “And... it was on the cover.”

“Ahh.”

“He’s really hacked, isn’t he?”

“He misses his wife—he loves her very much.” He didn’t smile or anything, only took a sip of tea. “But of course, he cannot be in two places at once. He can either be here with his friend—his brother—and trying to heal. Or he can pursue her, and heal what has been lost.”

“That... that’s fucked up.”

“Indeed.”

“But what can I do?”

“Ken will need to find his own healing, of course. But the best thing you can do is determine what you will be doing.”

“I will... What can I do?” You shook your head as the lights blinked uncertainly for a moment. “I’m not even doing anything.”

“Tell me, then, about the meal. As wild as he is, I imagine you had to poke it on a stick and feed him that way?”

You shook your head, glowering. “No wonder he is half crazy. You both keep making him sound like a monster.” You sniffed the fragrant tea silently. “For your information, he ate it—mostly—from a spoon.”

Dhalsim shrugged. “And... you have a... cure in mind for this?”

“Well... treat him a bit better, for one. Maybe, not—.”

“Like a monster?” He grinned. “And since you are the only one to reach him, perhaps you can tell me what else might help?”

The lights buzzed harshly, growing brighter and then dimmer. One of the bulbs burst in a shower of sparks. The yogi said nothing, barely seemed to notice. Instead, he finished his cup of tea and said, “It seems that now is not the time. Perhaps you and I can put together a list for now.” He set the cup aside as the lights flickered again. “It can take a while for him to calm down if he’s truly upset.” There was another flicker of lights. “Why not meditate with me for a while? You can tell me your ideas about how to best help Ryu.”

As strange as that conversation was, it marked a change of your position for the next few days. You would spend time with Dhalsim on a variety of small, soothing tasks—mixing his teas and herbs, meditating, reading about various things, and sharing in the cleaning. You would both listen to music on a small music player. Not much changed—Ryu still raged chaotically and didn’t seem to recognize you—and you both seemed resolved to weather the storm as best you could.

Ken was entirely changed, though. He no longer spoke to you if he could help it. In fact, he seemed to avoid being in the same room as you. He would eat in private, sulking over the magazines that he hastily reclaimed. He would do whatever he wanted in private, and he seemed to barely speak even to Dhalsim.

You woke up one day, feeling like you couldn’t be more exhausted, and went to shower. The lights stayed on as you rinsed off, as you dried off and got dressed. They were steady as you went to the kitchen to put the kettle on the stove. They were steady as you began boiling some eggs. When Dhalsim strolled in, they were steady as you both ate boiled eggs and toast and drank some tea.

You yawned into the cup of tea and Dhalsim said, “It appears that the worst has passed and we are now again at peace.”

You tilted your head and thought about it. He was right. If Ryu was raging, the lights would at least blink or flare up by this time. Instead the lights remained steady, unwavering. “I suppose you’re right.”

“We can try again. Perhaps you can put in some of your ideas.”

“Will they help?”

“I will tell you... I do not know. But it cannot hurt since all we have done has failed.”

You nodded slowly. It seemed terrible that everything was reduced to ‘it couldn’t hurt’. “I suppose we can go see him as usual.”

“You were going to, anyway.” He smiled into his cup with another eloquent shrug. “I saw that you boiled extra eggs.”

Ken’s hoarse voice called from the doorway. “Are any of them for me?” You both looked up to see him leaning there with a worldweary grimace on his face. “Mind if I have one?”

Dhalsim only nodded. “Of course—we would be glad to have you.”

Ken sat down with an egg, a slice of toast and a glass of tea. “Err...thanks.” He looked at you and whispered, “I know... I’ve been a jerk. A big jerk. I’m sorry.”

You whispered back, “I’m sorry. I was... really insensitive. We were looking for things to talk about and I... I found the magazines. I thought it would be a good thing to talk about. Maybe help him out.” You fiddled with your cup. “I am sorry for bringing up... your wife.”

He nodded shortly. “It’s a sensitive spot right now.”

Dhalsim cut in. “Perhaps you need to go back and heal that part of your heart.” You both stared at him. “You must do what is right for yourself as well.”

“Yeah... I know that... that Eliza’s probably going to be hacked at me. I mean, I did kind of dump her on her own when we were trying to figure out what happened to Ryu. It wasn’t fair to do that. Especially when she had to go into the board meetings.” He sighed. “I-I-I still love her.”

“She will see that,” Dhalsim said.

“Well, I sure hope so.” He gulped everything down and stared at the table. “It was a shit thing to do.” He glanced up at you and then down again. “It was a shit thing to do. But... maybe with you—Ryu can heal. Maybe he can get better and we can all... get better, I guess.”

You sighed and fiddled with your cup some more. “I don’t know... if I am helping at all.”

“Your wife. You must go to her,” Dhalsim urged. “And you must work to heal the damage that has been done.”

“I’ll only be gone a few weeks,” he muttered. “Then I’ll come back and check on you all. The bus got loaded with supplies and there should be plenty of stuff to last a while. I’ll have my phone on me, too, so you can have security call me if things go south.”

The blond stood up and dumped his few dishes in the sink. “I guess that’s it, huh? I just can’t do this. I need to get out for a bit before I go cuckoo.” He gave you a ghost of a smile. “And I gotta see Eliza. You know?”

“Of course,” Dhalsim said.

“So... wish me luck?”

“Go in peace,” Dhalsim said. “And best of luck.”

“Yeah... uh, good luck,” you muttered.

He waved slightly and shuffled out. He looked far older than he had before, but that was not really—a bad thing. Whatever he had been doing for the past few days, he had worked it out in his head and figured out some things. He had a sort of rugged character to his bearing now as he got to the doorway and picked up a huge bag to throw over his shoulder. He turned to grin at you both and wave a victory hand-sign at you. “And you guys—you have good luck too.”

You watched as he left, trying to figure out what you might be feeling. He needed good luck if the articles were any indication. And he didn’t need to be antagonizing Ryu. Your head hurt as you tried to figure out... well, anything. Thankfully, Dhalsim picked up everything and cleaned it, setting the final two boiled eggs in a bowl with a couple of pieces of toast.

“Why not see if Ryu is up to company?” he asked. From somewhere, he pulled a large water bottle with a hook on the top and filled it up at the sink. “Here—this will help. And I put some books and things on the bridge in case you want to read.”

You nodded, clipped the water bottle to your belt, and took the food and a cup of tea with you. Sure enough, Ryu was tired and was just sort of lounging and looking bored. He saw you and finally staggered to his feet. “You came back!”

You nodded and raised the bowl. “I even brought breakfast.”

“Yeah... but how are you going to get down here?”

You looked down at the pile Dhalsim left behind. You expected the books—a stack of thick hardback books—and magazines. But there was also a small key ring of keycards and keys (with labels—thank God!), a small box of white chalk, and a men’s toiletry kit. You even had a pillow up here now, along with what was either a large stool or a small, short table set with a small cup and a pitcher of water and a camping lantern.

“Well... we have a guardian angel looking out for us.” You showed him the ring of keys. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

You only took one wrong turn and got down there. Testing the key marked “Pit”, you were relieved that it opened. He smiled to see you, lurching over unsteadily. He muttered, “You know—it took you three minutes to get here.”

You blinked in surprise, unsure how to take this—or the sitting pillow just outside the door. Someone certainly had been busy, arranging all this. Still, Ryu was half smirking at you as you staggered in. “Okay. I... brought some food. And how did you know how long it took me?”

“Street fights are usually ninety seconds and best two out of three rounds.”

“Oh.” You blinked nervously. “So, I got two eggs and some toast.”

“Sounds great.”

You came forward hesitantly. You’d have to feed him again. Still... he seemed lucid and as close to non threatening as he might ever get. Was he born this big? This muscular? He was hungry. You didn’t need to be shrewish about it. You crumpled the warm eggs with your fingers and began tediously poking bits into his mouth and washing them down with the water.

“That’s... delicious.” He looked at your bowl longingly. “Is there more? I feel like I haven’t eaten in days.”

“I’ll go get something else.”

You locked him up and went to the kitchen. There was bread and a well stocked fridge. You tossed together an... omelet. Peppers and onions and mushrooms and cheese and—because you found like four packets in the refrigerator—ham. It was a huge omelet and surely it was more than he could ever eat, along with six pieces of toast with butter. 

He was just sitting down as you fumbled with the lock and opened the door again. “I brought you some more.”

He grinned with a relieved nod. “Whatever you have—it smells wonderful.”

You nodded and pulled out a heavy spoon. “Sorry—we seem to have only heavy spoons.”

“It’s fine.”

His appetite seemed to be huge as he finished the omelet and all but one half of a piece of toast. “That’s amazing.” He licked his lips and tossed his head. His burp was deep and echoed strangely. “Wow. I haven’t been... full like this in... forever.”

You nodded, staring at him. You would have thought that the huge bowlful would have fed three men like him. “Umm... great.”

He stared as you put everything down out of the way. “So... are you going to just stare at me? Or are you going to read or something?” His eyes lit up. “I want you to read. It’s so boring here.”

“Umm... yeah. Sure. I can get out the books from upstairs.”

“No! I want something NOW!” he bellowed. You jumped back from him in terror. “I want you to stay and talk to me now!”

“Ummm... I need to do the dishes and now I need to get the books and—,” you babbled fearfully as you backed out. His roar grew louder. “I’ll be right back.”

You slammed the door and ran to the kitchen. The dishes went into the dishwasher and you were shaking as you poured yourself a cup of Dhalsim’s tea. That halfway calmed your nerves enough to go to back to the bridge. Ryu was roaring down in the pit, snarling and snapping and sometimes sounding like a man cursing and sometimes like a beast prowling around. It scared you that he seemed so much stronger and faster as he paced.

You sat on the cushion and took the first book off the pile. It was heavy and firm and real as you turned on the small lamp and opened the cover. He looked up at you, snorting and plopping down. “So this is... ‘The Tale of Genji’ by Murasaki Shikibu.”

You read and read, trying to make the long tome interesting. For several days, you would come and read to him, bringing him meals as he allowed and reading to him the rest of the time. It was... incredibly long and the book was even thicker because of the numerous footnotes and translator’s notes and a number of pages after every chapter discussing the meaning of the metaphors and sayings and situations. When you finally finished reading, you went through the whole pitcher of water and your water bottle before you finally gasped, “We... we have to stop. I need to move around.”

He nodded sullenly. “I suppose.” He paused in silence for just a moment—just long enough for you to fold down the page. “Hey, beautiful—you have keys now, right?”

“Umm...yeah.”

“So... can you take pity on me? And maybe get me a bath? A toothbrush?” He scowled and licked his lips meaningfully. “I feel terrible.”

You thought for a moment. “Yeah... I have some stuff. Maybe I can bring some soap and water.” He nodded with a smile. “Let me go see if I can ask for some help.”

Dhalsim was not convinced it was a good thing. “We can perhaps do a sponge bath. You can wash him and brush his teeth.”

“What?! That’s hardly anything.” You stomped your foot impatiently. “What about the big can you used for me that first time? Can we use that?”

“Only for hose water,” he snorted. “There is no hot water down there—anymore.”

“That’s... good enough, I guess.” You nodded. “I’ll go down there with you. Maybe he’ll let me clean him.”

Dhalsim nodded uncertainly. “You understand that I will take you out of the pit if I feel you are in danger. Or if you are endangering this facility.”

“Fine. Whatever.”

You went with him down to that floor, dragging the big can thumping down the steps behind you. Sure enough, there was a wide spigot with a hose. Actually, there used to be two spigots—but you could tell that one pipe was cut off and capped recently. Still, it was something and with the bar of soap in the toiletry bag it would be good, right? Maybe even—if he wasn’t going to be too scary, you could even get him to brush his teeth. From somewhere, he grabbed a pair of huge towels and dropped them over your shoulder.

“Perhaps you could go get him some clean clothes? They are in one of the bedrooms.”

“Umm...which one? And then....?”

He rolled his eyes and took you up to a bedroom. You vaguely remembered seeing it on one of your wandering strolls through the place. He hung back, so you went in and dug in the huge canvas bag until you found what amounted to a worn smooth, white sleeveless jacket and a pair of white canvas pants that were worn ragged on the bottom of the legs. That and an almost threadbare black belt. Everything else was martial arts equipment—heavy gauntlets, some hand weights, a box of first aid supplies, a heavy steel water bottle, a bottle of powder and some moist towelettes from a restaurant. Strangely, there were no shoes or socks but there was a small, worn wallet and a cigar box of letters. You stared at the strange collection of items and then felt like you were intruding on a private life.

That done, you both began dragging the heavy can to the locked door. Ryu was snarling and snapping as you managed to get inside with it. He went silent, staring and frozen to the spot. You showed him the soap and toothpaste and toothbrush. And his brilliant white smile was almost terrifying.

“You came!” He shook slightly in his chains as he stared at the makeshift tub. He tugged restlessly. “Can’t wait.”

Dhalsim sighed and nodded slowly. “So long as you do not harm her or yourself, then I will permit this. I am not going to let you wreak havoc.”

His grin became a grimace. “Fine. Whatever.” His rolled his shoulders under the canvas straightjacket again. “I can’t wait to get clean, you know?”

“Do you have no regret for the damage you have caused? For what you have done?” He scowled finally, has eyes flaring red for a moment. “I need you know that you are being watched and I will hesitate to... do what is necessary.”

“Fine!” He hunched over towards you. “I just don’t want your skinny ass watching me.”

And that was how you ended up locked in the pit with Ryu. You weren’t certain how to proceed—what to do next—when he grinned at you. “Are you going to... help?”

“I guess I have to?” You stood behind him and began the tedious process of unfastening the buckles. They were pulled obscenely tight. “Really? These are ridiculous.”

The canvas straightjacket loosened and finally he was able to move. One or two more buckles and he let out a a deep breath as his arms were able to relax and move. Then you kind of frowned as you fumbled with the belt at the bottom that went between his legs. Hell, that was really bad as your fingers were... right there at his ass and then between his muscular thighs. How had he managed to stay so strong if he had spent the last months in this place? But he had—somehow—and now you were just kind of... feeling him all over as you were unfastening and unzipping and unbuckling the straightjacket.

Still, he was sighing in pleasure when you pulled the canvas away. It was a mistake—he reeked. Yes, it was obvious he hadn’t changed in a while. You gagged and stepped away from him, collapsing against the wall. “What a—!”

“Yeah—it’s fucking awful!” He rolled his eyes and tossed his head and you saw sweat droplets go everywhere. “I haven’t been let out in weeks.”

“God—don’t I know it?” You stared as he pulled the jacket up, only to have it just stop at the heavy collar and chains. “I guess we have to leave it there?”

“There’s one more zipper down the back.”

You undid the last zipper and it fell to his feet. His back was as muscular and his arms were still mighty. And glistening with sweat. “That’s it.”

“Now my... legs. My pants.”

Your hands shook as you unfastened the chains at his ankles. He was almost free. What had they said about him? About how he was dangerous? But there was nothing else to do. He needed to be cleaned up. You struggled to get the can close enough and finally he could grab it over. You turned away shyly as he struggled to climb in.

“Fuck this is good.”

Water overflowed and went all over your shoes as you stared at the laces. “Sorry it’s cold.”

“It feels good anyway.” A pause with more splashes. “Do you have some soap?”

“Uhh...yeah.” You fumbled in the kit until you found the bar of soap. Without looking at him, you waved it and muttered, “Here.”

“Great. Is that...shampoo?”

“Yeah.”

“Give it to me.”

“Don’t you know the word ‘please’?” you growled under your breath. You took out the small bottle of shampoo and whirled around. “Here.”

“Thank you,” he warbled in a sarcastic falsetto. “Gotta get cleaned up for my best girl, right?”

You were frozen as you looked at him. Hell, he was gorgeous. Even standing in the cramped can with the water only up to to his belly and just barely covering his... uhhh... his private parts. Every muscle was gleaming and taut, beautiful in its pale symmetry. It was his pride and unmistakeable lack of shyness that made the heat swell in your belly—he was in no way ashamed that you were looking at him. In fact, based on the ripples and shifting, he was enjoying your shy admiration.

“Get my back.”

“Fine!” You grabbed the soap and began rubbing it across his back. He was as fine to touch as he was to look at. His muscles flexed and rolled under his slick skin as you began scrubbing the collected sweat and dirt from him. It was strangely exciting to feel his pleasure as you scrubbed him. He groaned and flexed, stretching in a way that was more erotic than threatening. Then you splashed him, watching as the small suds and bubbles hypnotically flowed over his skin and muscles. “There you go.”

He squatted and wriggled, making water splash everywhere. You couldn’t help but watch it spill out in a wave over the sides of the can and all over the floor. For a moment you were afraid that it would wash away the glyph, but you saw that, instead, it just sizzled and evaporated when it hit the glyph itself. In fact, every time he rinsed off it made a wave of water that sizzled like water hitting a hot pan before vanishing in a puff of steam.

He was enjoying this so much. It was as obvious as the nose on your face. It seemed a shame to go and pull out the towels. “Are you ready to get out?”

Ryu nodded shortly, staring at the last puddle of water bubbling away at the glyph. “I guess.” He splashed himself a bit more, before climbing out of the makeshift tub. “Hold on and I’ll be done.” He dunked his head under the water and soaped it up before dunking his head again. “I guess that’s as good as I’m going to get.”

You were going to hand him the towel and move so that he had some semblance of privacy—and you weren’t openly gawking at him—but he simply staggered around and took the towel from you. Wrapping it around his shoulders, he kicked the tub hard enough to dent it and let it tip so that the water flooded the floor. You gaped a moment to see his whole body like that—even in the sudden thick steam, he was in his raw, nude perfection as he dried off.

And he was... very happy to see you.

“Umm... do you want... like... clothes?”

“Why?”

You had no ready reply for that—not when you were really enjoying what he was apparently willing to show you so much. So, instead, you fumbled until found his pants and handed them to him and pulled out what you hoped would distract him.

“What are you doing there?”

You pulled out the chalk. Six sticks of white and six colored sticks in red, orange, green, yellow, blue and purple were lined up in neat little sticks in the box. You took out a white one, marveling as always that the chalk felt so cool and smooth in your palm. It was something to look at while he dressed. Then, calmly, you drew a small star on the wall.

“Hey—what are you doing?”

You blushed at his rather intimate tone. “You said you missed... well, stars.”

He struggled to get a clear view of your hand drawn constellation and you heard the chains at his neck snap tight and groan. “I miss stars and bugs and all kinds of things. But unless you are going to let me go... I’m still kind of stuck in this pit.”

“So, I’m going to give you some stars.”

He watch for a few moments before he kicked the large can again and it clanged off the wall. You looked at the can—it was twisted into utter uselessness—and then the crack in the wall. “Umm... maybe I should come back another time.”

“What?! No! You wanted to give me some stars? So—give me some stars.”

You looked around again. “Umm... I’m not sure that it’s a good idea—you’re... you’re scaring me.”

Dhalsim’s voice came over some loudspeaker. “I agree. Complete the bath, restore his chains, and then let us go.” You paused, looking over at Ryu. He seemed to be getting more enraged with each moment that the Indian man spoke. “Hurry, before he escapes.”

You looked over at him and suddenly, he was changing again. “Ryu... Umm... Baby—I know...it’s not—.”

“It’s not fair!” he howled at you. “I’ve been fine. I’ve been good!” He growled and began snarling upward. “What the fuck do you want from me?!”

“Hurry, miss.”

You crept closer and picked up one of the foot chains. “Maybe we could... just these, huh? Then he will let us stay a bit longer.”

Dhalsim’s voice cut in again with a metallic reverb. “That would be acceptable for a while longer.”

He growled and kicked the can again. “Fine. Whatever! But do the jacket rather than the legs—my legs fucking hurt, do you hear me Dhalsim?! I’m tired of hurting so much.”

“Very well. The jacket is more complicated anyway.”

He growled and grumbled, but he did let you slide on the jacket and begin doing the zippers, buckles and fastenings. “I’m only doing this because he won’t let you come back if I don’t.”

You tugged a strap and began buckling it. “I know.”

“If I do this—you’ll come back, right?” His eyes flared red. “Right?! You’re going to come back?”

“I... I guess.”

“Say ‘YES’, dammit!” He roared and leapt at you, only to be jerked backwards by a rattle of chains. You jumped backwards and stumbled over the twisted wreckage of the can. You managed to get a half glimpse of his transformed features and flaming red eyes before your head hit the hard wall behind you. “FUCK!”

The world started going dark and everything you heard was going into static when you saw him vaguely stagger and twist. Your eyes kept showing a fuzzy and darkening room but you managed to see several bright blue tipped... things—sticking into Ryu. Then another appeared and the man sagged in his chains. They were so twisted, he was going to choke if he sagged to the floor like that. Another one appeared with a soft pop and he groaned, then roared and dropped to his knees. Then the room went black and static filled your ears.

You awoke—who knew how much later—in the room you were assigned with a thick circle of bandages around your head. Everything hurt and your ears rang slightly. You stretched stiffly under the blankets. Shuddering, you reached for the glass of water on your bedside table and took a sip.

Dhalsim walked in then, holding a tray of items. He brought you a cup of hot tea and unwrapped a pair of pills. “Ahh... you are awake.”

“I’m... awake.” You groaned. “What happened?”

“You will be fine, miss. You took a blow to the head.” He tutted and shook his bald head. “I want you to rest today.”

“What about Ryu?” you croaked out.

“I finished containing him—you need not worry.” He growled in his throat and it surprised you that he had that much anger in him. “And you will recover well.”

You shuddered and pushed upwards to sit up a bit more. “I... I—thank you. Umm... he seemed to be getting better—during the... the bath.”

“I wish that I could believe you.” He examined your bandage suddenly dispassionately. “Even now, he is raging uncontrollably. Despite the tranquilizing darts, he is struggling to get free and roaring like a beast. I nearly couldn’t contain him again even after eight darts.”

You could barely move. “How long have I been asleep?”

“About two days,” he murmured. “You will be fine.”

“And...?”

“Ryu awoke about two hours after I brought you here.” He murmured softly, “And then he was raging around again. I am surprised that you didn’t wake up when the lights began shattering. Again.”

“Is he... ever going to be free?”

He put his hands on his bony knees. “I am... very sorry.”

“What?!”

“He will be in the pit for a while. I cannot say when he will be rational again.” He shook his head sadly again. “It will probably be... a very long while.”

“How long?”

“Perhaps... never.”

“Are you...? You’re saying he... won’t ever come out of there?” Your eyes widened in shock. “What kind of... mad scientist are you?”

He grimaced and nodded. “You do not know how... ironic that is. But that is not something we need to discuss right now.” He stood and gestured at the hot tea. “You will not need to do anything more than rest for now.”

You settled down further into the pillows. “I suppose you’re right.”

“And then I will call Ken and he will take you home.”

“What?!” That made you shoot up in the bed—but your head swam so much that you fell back down into the pillows. “I.... You said—! You said that he would get better.” Your voice dropped into a coarse whisper. “That I was supposed to make him better and then he could get out of here!”

He shook his head and patted your shoulder. “It was a... wishful thought, was it not? I could not... accept that he was lost forever. That an expert—a master—could fall so swiftly, so completely to the darkness. The Dark Hado... is far more dangerous than I ever imagined.” He shrugged in eloquent sadness. “But it is... obvious that while... you are helping him, it is... not enough to break him free.”

“What the hell are you saying?”

He whispered slowly, “It is best for everyone if you go back to your real life where you have the comfort of friends and family and all of your life.”

“And Ryu?”

He looked aside and his dark cheek went red. “Well... after you have left, then we will need to—.”

“To what?!”

“We will need... to eliminate the problem.”

“But he’s doing so well!” you whined. It made your ears ache and you couldn’t help writhing as you felt your head ache. So you dropped your voice to a soft whisper. “I... thought that... he was... doing better.”

“He is.” He whispered softly in response, “He is doing better—it is the most rational he has been in a very long time. But he is still dangerous. Even with you, he is unable to stop.” With another shake of his head and a shrug, he added, “It is a terrible thing, but it is better for everyone if a rabid animal is put down gently, before it causes more damage and costs more lives.”

You shuddered and pulled the blankets up to your neck. “You’re talking about killing him.”

He nodded. “I know that it is... distasteful to you. Unfortunately, it must be done.”

“Why?”

He perched on the edge of the bed. “I am truly, very sorry. But you will not be here and it will not be on your soul.” He patted your knee just like your childhood doctor had once upon a time. “I will do what is needful and I will let Ken know when it is done. He has no family—not anymore—and we will settle his remains as his marker will be beside his master’s.”

“Th-th-that can’t be the only way.”

“I apologize for distressing you. But we cannot risk letting him get out again.” He looked down sorrowfully and shook his head. “The last time was a disaster. He killed Vega, who was a skilled Spanish ninja. He ripped the fighter apart and tossed... chunks of him around like a—. Well...that is certainly enough of that. But the worst was afterwards—because then Bison had Shadowloo rebuild him into a murderous cyborg.” He shook his head again. “We cannot risk another such disaster—not after losing so many.”

“H-h-how many?”

“Sakura was killed by Vega. DJ has disappeared. Akuma is gone. Cammy has... gone back to Shadowloo. Chun-li has abandoned all of the street fights and decided to start tracking Bison through the Chinese police. Zangief has gone into isolation in Siberia. Ken is lost to his own grief. There have been many losses and we cannot risk any more. Ryu’s fall to the Dark Hado was the... linchpin, I suppose you would call it, and if he was loosed on the world, I shudder to think what would happen. There are certainly not enough of us left to stop him now since he has only—despite everything—gotten stronger.

“But that is not your problem,” he whispered. “It is mine. You are going to be fine and this will be a memory to you. No one will ever come after you for this—no one will ever know that you have ever been here or that you had any hand in this.”

“I would know,” you muttered softly. “But don’t... do anything without me?”

“Of... of course. But—why?”

“It’s not fair to do this...without tell him goodbye.”

“Ahh... Very well.”

He crept out quietly, giving you privacy and quiet. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but you could only doze a bit before waking up. Finally your head stopped throbbing and you got up. What that crazy man was proposing was... insane! You couldn’t figure out what you were going to do but you couldn’t stay here.

You knew what you were going to do.

You picked up your small ring of keys and stared at them. You had to get to Ryu this instant. Even the lights flaring and dimming didn’t stop you as you walked to the kitchen to grab something to eat and another water bottle. Creeping closer, you felt shivers run down your spine as the echos of screams and snarls ricocheted off the cement walls.

You got to the heavy door and slid it open. Ryu didn’t hear you as he paced and roared incoherently again. You had never seen someone foaming at the mouth before, but he was as his face distorted into something that had never been human. He kept pacing and didn’t even seem to see you standing in the doorway as curses poured out of his mouth.

“Ryu.” you hissed. “Ryu!”

He screamed again and leapt up. He was choked into silence as all of the chains snapped taut with a teeth-gnashing sound. Finally his bright red eyes hit you and he was as freakishly silent as he had been loud. The lights around the pit flickered and dimmed.

“You CAME!” he howled. His whole body crouched, every muscle tightened into a mountain boulder. “You heard me and you came.”

You rushed forward, your hands shaking. “Ryu...do you know what is going on?”

He only let out a dark purr. “I know that you came to me.”

“I came to talk to you!” You slid as close to him as you dared. Who knew if Dhalsim was listening in? So, you whispered, “He’s.... It’s hard to explain, but... we have to get out of here.”

He nodded thoughtfully and crouched down again with a dark smirk. “I’m ready when you are.”

You dropped the keys and picked them up—again and again—before you got the right one for his legs. Then you went to his back. “Hold on. I’m going to get the jacket first.”

“Hurry.” Was it your imagination or did his whisper deepen in some unearthly way? “I want to hurry the fuck up.”

You began jerking the fastenings and belts and buckles. The zipper got stuck and you were sure you would rip it off before it let loose. He kept struggling, too—pulling the canvas tight—which didn’t help as you kept trying to undo everything. You finally got that strap between his legs which made you flush. Then there was that ripping sound as he finally pulled it off.

“Get the collar off!” He tugged at the last chains around his neck and legs wildly and snorted like a wart hog as he kept whipping around. “Get it off now.”

You were trembling now as you were suddenly having second thoughts. You knew the risks—you had been told about the deaths and problems—and now you were letting him go? What were you thinking? Still, it had to be immoral to just let him stay here—maybe let him die. There were suddenly no right answers.

“Let me go!” Ryu whispered in a voice like shattering rock. “I want out.”

You blinked up at him in a sudden terror. No one on earth had ever spoken like that. The deep, animalistic whisper wrapped around your... soul. You were sure that you wanted to release him, to run free with him and embrace that barbarian energy that was suddenly flowing. From nowhere, you felt dark and powerful as if you had stepped into a vampire’s body. You had never felt this powerful and the thoughts in your head were of blood, of violence. Every jerk, every bitch you had ever encountered was dying and screaming in your mind. They were all dying at your feet, begging you for mercy. Every wrong in the world, you could simply choke towards the right.

“Let me out,” he purred softly, crouching as close as he could to your ear. “I know you want to. Don’t you feel it? Darkness and power?” He knew what you were thinking and when you looked at him you knew he could see exactly what was in your head. Your hands undid the first chain and it clanked to the wall. “You can feel it. I can show you. I can teach you—and you can use the Hado like I can. You can be powerful. You can be strong. Just... undo the last chain.”

You were reaching for it—you were. It would be so... amazing to be strong. To be so powerful. To be unafraid. How many times had you been afraid? Every time you had been afraid bloomed in you all at once and shattered through your raw nerves. Your terror was crippling and driving you to your knees and every part of you was clawing and ripping wildly at everything. All the secret, hidden fears you had every cringed from, run from, bloomed like a 3D, 360 degree horror movie that detailed every single thing you had ever feared.

It was like being on a rollercoaster in your head as you whipped into despair. You shook as the keys fell from your hands. You weren’t able to get a thought in your head before it was whipped away by some other emotion. Images flashed up that terrified and enraged and depressed you.

The roars finally reached you. You stumbled away and then saw Ryu. He was roaring as well and you were shocked to see long wet red scratches over his torso. You looked at your hands and you saw blood on your nails. You didn’t know what else to do and so you roared back at him. You hadn’t felt so hot and achy in a long, long time and your eyes burned. His eyes were not flaming, were terrified and seemed to ache with worry as he stared back at you.

“P-p-please,” he whispered softly. “No....”

You staggered backwards again, frightened at everything around you. He wrenched the metal one more time and you were sure that one more time would rip it loose entirely. Your eyes glanced at the door and you were surprised to see the shadowed form of Dhalsim standing there, staring at you.

“My god, not you, too.”

His rapid curse was lost in the roaring around you. The thin, brown face was somehow amazed and terrified as he stared at you both and then he slammed the door. You heard the heavy locks slam and then the sound of metal sheering. Ryu shoved past you to run to the door, but he seemed to slam into an invisible wall at the edge of the glyph.

He bellowed again and you shrieked to see the lights flare up in blinding light and then shatter completely. There was a klaxon blaring and a set of dim red lights outlined the top of the pit. Ryu shouted at them before collapsing.

He shuddered and you felt more than heard his frustrated sob. “I’m sorry. I just want out.... I just want to leave.”

You crept closer to him. The air was clammy and cold and you were desperate for warmth, for something that didn’t seem to rock with anger and terror. He must have been seeking the same thing, because you heard him shuffle closer to you. Then you stumbled and fell against him.

He was... warm, strong. You held onto his shoulders and curled into his lap with your arms around his neck. “Thank god I found you,” you whimpered against him. “I’m... so cold.”

He grunted and pulled you closer. “I’m right here.”

You ignored the slight feeling of moist warmth on his chest. Whether it was sweat or... or blood, you didn’t want to know. Surprisingly, he only shifted and stiffly tucked your head under his chin. “I’m scared. I was.... I must have gone crazy.” Your voice cracked into a shrill whisper. “I’m sorry—so sorry—.”

He nodded and gruffly snorted, “I’ve had worse.” There was a long sigh and he growled, “But... I just want to get out of here.”

You nodded and patted his shoulders. “I-I-I know.”

He sighed again and you felt him relax. “But if I’m stuck in here... I’m glad it’s with you.”

You whimpered and loved it when his large arms wrapped around you. He was so warm, so strong and he scooped you up to curl completely in his lap. There was a long period where he simply held you, waiting for you to stop shivering. He then began to rock slightly and then he cleared his throat anxiously.

“When I was... a little kid,” he whispered against your hair, “my father would... he would hold me like this. And... and he’d sing to me.” There was a choked sound that might have been laugh. “He couldn’t sing very well. It sounded....”

“Sounded... like what?”

He shook his head. “It’s t-t-terrible.” His shook his head. “He’s dead and it’s profane to think bad things like this.”

You curled up into a tighter ball and whispered, “Like what?”

He growled and held you closer. “You’re going to think I’m a monster.”

Your hand went to his chest, feeling the long lumps of your scratches in his skin. “Just... you know, just keep talking. I am... scared of the dark. It’s too quiet like this, you know?”

There was a long pause and he hissed, “I know, beautiful. I hate all this.... It is so quiet. Like I’m buried alive.” You couldn’t stop holding him as tightly as you could. “I have nightmares that I’m buried with my master.”

You took a deep breath, almost surprised that it didn’t puff out like smoke from the cold. “Can you... tell me about him?”

“It’s bad to talk about the dead.”

You nodded, distantly surprised that his voice had become so small, so lost and innocent. He sounded like a young boy. “Can you tell me just the good things then?”

He thought it over for a moment and nodded. With shaking hands, he patted your hair and smoothed your hair down over your neck. You felt peculiarly soothed by it, but he seemed to enjoy it as well. “Well... I guess I could talk about that. Well, he was.... His name was Master Gouken, and I went to live with him when I was very young. I... don’t remember my parents—at all—but he raised me. He was... I thought he was the best. He was tall and fast and strong and he could—I thought he could defeat anyone. I wanted to be just like him.”

“He sounds nice.”

“He had a big laugh. Not like the American Santa, but a big laugh. Like a bear laughing—or a barrel. He always told me that he couldn’t sing me to sleep like other fathers because... he was too hoarse from shouting and fighting.”

“Fighting?”

“He taught martial arts. He taught whoever could climb the mountain to get to us. But he always shouted—whenever he punched or struck—and you could hear it echo that high up in the mountains.”

“Is the shouting important? All the movies say it is, but I don’t know why.”

“It helps. He always said it helped gather and project the ki. But it also tightens the tummy and... it kind of scares people if you roar at them.”

“And was he hoarse?”

“He... he sounded like,” he whispered in a low voice, “like a walrus with a sore throat.”

You snickered at that. “That sounds—.”

“Oh, it sounded awful. I was always glad to go to sleep because then he’d stop singing.” He paused thoughtfully. “That’s bad, isn’t it? Saying that?”

You shook your head. “I don’t think so. It’s honest.”

“I guess,” he sighed. “He told me to always be honest. That it was important to remember that... that even if I wasn’t the strongest or fastest, I needed to still be the best I could be.” He cuddled against you like you were a teddy bear. “I don’t have a family. I don’t know anything about them and I can’t find them. So it was always important to make him happy because I... I thought that maybe, I’d been bad and that’s why—they never came back to get me.”

“Oh, honey,” you whispered sadly.

He only nodded. “It sounds really... stupid now. I always figured that... if I did my best, they’d hear of me. Then they’d know where to find me. But..they never did. I don’t know if they ever even tried. I don’t know if they even are alive.” You kept holding him, sensing he needed this. He waited for a moment, and then whispered, “You’ll... come watch, right?”

“Come watch what?”

“If... if we get out, you’ll come watch me, right? I mean, come watch the street fights. Cheer me on, maybe?”

“Umm... sure.” You felt him relax and shuffle so that you were sitting on the ground, his legs around you. “I... guess—. I mean, I don’t know a... lot about—. Street fighting. But, I guess... I am a good cheerleader?”

He grunted and nodded. “I’ll... I’d really... like that.”

“What is it like? The street fighting?”

“I went to one when I was really young. Master Gouken... he took me downhill to the village. It doesn’t sound like a really big thing, but... it was a long walk. We always walked. A friend of his invited us to dinner and.... Their kids were loud and... and noisy and I didn’t want to play with them. So I—I snuck out and I was going... to go to... the candy shop.”

“Candy?”

He chuckled and patted your head. “I like those little hard cherry candies. And... and gummy bears.” He whispered even softer in your ear. “I couldn’t get enough of the red ones. My... father—he said they’d rot my teeth.

“And I snuck out to get some. I was coming back and... I saw them—fighting in an alley. It was beautiful. I mean... it probably was kind of.... Maybe you had to be there. But I was hooked. And then I saw one of them just... He did the most amazing uppercut and the other guy just hit the ground. I couldn’t believe it and he... won. Just, won.

“He got a lot of money—it seemed like a lot of money, anyway—and there were people taking his picture and talking to him. When he saw me, just standing there and I was so.... I couldn’t say anything. He laughed and he...asked if I wanted his autograph.”

“Did you get it?”

“I... only had my bag of candy.” He chuckled softly. “But... it was—. It was so weird. He looked at me and.... I was too scared to say anything. Then he laughed. And he said that he... knew me. Asked if I was Gouken’s kid. That’s what he said ‘aren’t you Gouken’s kid’.”

“What happened?”

“Master Gouken came out looking for me. Father found me there and I was in so much trouble. The guy recognized him and was acting like it was some great honor that I was there watching even though I was just sneaking out. But... it was like I had finally found what I wanted to do more than anything. I begged him the whole way home to teach me.” You giggled. “And he did. Every day he taught me more and more and I wanted to be the best ever.

“It was Ken’s idea to go out to see a street fight when we were studying together. I told him I’d never seen a fight, but I lied. I wanted him to take me. I didn’t know where the fights were because Father never talked about fighting, only about teaching. But I was hooked because it seemed like everyone was even. It was a matter of skill and training and not only a matter of size and strength. It... it’s beautiful. And Father would be famous and everyone would want to learn from him and he’d have all the money he ever wanted if I was a winner, you know?

“I wanted to be the best. To make him proud. To make him glad that he was my father.” His thick arms tightened around you. “I mean... since I got... left behind, I wanted him... I wanted to make him proud.” You heard him let out a bitter grunt. “But all that happened was—.”

He gripped you unsteadily, every part of him shaking. “I found... him. He was the strongest... the best. I mean... he was so....” There it was—a definite sob—and he shook around you. His eyes flared and his voice cracked as he said, “He was... just huge. Tall. Strong. Fast. Powerful.” Suddenly, he let out a broken laugh. “If... if you had... seen him, y-y-you’d have... loved him.”

“What?!”

“I-I-I mean... instead of me.” He shrugged. “I always looked... like a little kid next to him. I n-n-never grew up to b-b-be like him.” You felt a hot tear hit your skin. Then another and another. “I wan-wanted to be strong. And powerful. And-and... he wasn’t... supposed t-t-to die. Not... dying a-a-alone.”

“Dhalsim... said that he was—.”

“Akuma killed him. I wasn’t there b-b-because I was at a street fight. I-I-I... wanted to prove th-th-that I was... strong. Like him. That I was ju-ju-just as.. as g-g-g-goood. B-b-b-but... I wasn’t. H-h-h-he was al-alone a-a-a-and I co-couldn’t... do anything! Anything to stop it.”

You held him just as tightly as he held you. Suddenly, you were choked up to feel him fall apart. He was hurting so much that you felt it ripping you in half, too. You rocked with him, listening to his sobs echo off the stone and cement. “Baby...”

“I wanted to kill Akuma,” he growled into your hair. “I just wanted to do it over and over and over b-b-b-because he died alone. I never w-w-want—. I wish it... i-i-i-it had been me.” He curled up around you. “I wish I-I-I had died in-instead.”

You struggled to hold him, to comfort him. He was so huge, so massively muscled, that you struggled to reach around his shoulders, so you pushed up and wrapped your arms around his neck. He rocked into you clumsily, his sobs noisy and disjointed. He jerked wildly, his arms tight around you.

“I wi-wi-wish I-I-I had died. That-at Akuma had killed me instead.” He growled wildly. “N-n-no one s-sh-sh...should d-d-do that. B-b-bury th-their whole f-f-family. I’m... s-s-such a fuckup. He’s... he’s gone a-a-and it’s-s-s all my fault.”

You nodded, murmuring softly and hoping that you were helping. He staggered to his knees, and, somehow, you were standing in front of him. His arms were around your waist as he nuzzled into your body, his cries muffled against you. You both rocked as if there were soft waves around you.

He quieted slowly, his rage and growls softening. The blood colored flares in his eyes faded as his eyes hooded and then closed. His hands loosened and then curved around your waist. You shuddered in the red tinged twilight of the pit, feeling his hands ripple over your waist and lower to curl around your haunches.

His voice was still and quiet as he whispered, “Why are you still here with me? When you know that I can’t....”

“Can’t what?”

“I can’t protect you,” he hissed, his hands tightening. “I couldn’t—I wasn’t there for Father and he... he died. Why... why throw yourself away on a fucked up guy like me?”

You shook your head, although you weren’t sure he could even see it. “You’re... you’re fine. You are... just fine.”

“Stay with me,” he whispered. “Promise that you’ll stay with me. Okay?”

You snorted as you glanced over in what you hoped was the direction of the door. “I don’t think that they are letting me out any time soon.”

“Good,” he snorted out. “I am... I’m tired of being alone in here.” He sighed, nuzzling you roughly. “I am going crazy in here.”

He tugged you down, squeezing your hips in his hands. Ryu whimpered against your skin as he laid you down on the ground. His hesitant lips touched your skin here and there along your arms and then your neck. The next thing you knew, he was tugging at your clothes.

He let out a soft hiccup and lapped at your breasts through your shirt. You rolled slightly, feeling him peel the clothing away from you. He tossed it all to the floor and jammed it under you. When you had a second breath, you touched him gently.

He flinched at first, mighty muscles tightening and bunching. Then, as your fingers kept stroking him, they trembled and became warm and looser. You had never felt such strength before. His strength was entirely different to your touch as a lion was different from a house cat. He seemed to even smell different as you kissed his face, a certain muskiness or spiciness that suggested wildness.

It was beautiful to hold him and feel that barely contained strength and power.

He pushed between your thighs with eager little nudges like a cat. You couldn’t resist his sensual and silent entreaties, not that you wanted to, as you settled halfway on the scattered clothes. He knelt and the scraping sound was a rattle in the stone silence. You could barely see anything—the emergency lights above you were scarcely able to reach down here—but it was even more erotic to only be able to hear him and feel him.

His hands gripped your shoulders as he kissed you somewhere between insanity and grief and passionate abandon. “I love... how you feel. You’re so soft. Like... like you’re made of candy and... and all my dreams. I’ve never felt something as soft as you.”

His cock pushed into you with a wet sound. It was erotic to feel the almost burn, the inner stretching as you felt him fill you. He was so damn strong, so big, that he could cradle your ass in his big hands and pull you further up on his cock.

“Jesus, Ryu!” you hissed in his ear.

He roared again as he hit the hard stop of hip to hip. “Oh... fuck.” He sucked in a hasty breath. “You are amazing.” Your legs gripped his hips and he shuddered. “You.... Am I hurting you?”

“No,” you hissed. He murmured something and leaned over you to begin lapping at your skin, your neck. “I’m not hurt.”

“You’re so small,” he whispered. “I’m... I’m scared I-I-I am going to... break you.” He rocked forward and grunted. “You’re going to tell me if I hurt you, right?”

“Hurt? Right.” He rocked back and then forward again. “Bu-but it—. Jeeze.”

His hands shook as they went to your breasts. “I won’t hurt you.” With slow movements, he leaned to suckle your nipples and roll his tongue around them. “Hell... you’re sweeter than candy. I... I promise I won’t hurt you. I won’t ever hurt you.”

You rolled your hips, arching up and making him curse again. You knew your hands were shaking as they pushed up his arms to his shoulders. Of course, he loved it anyway, pressing harder against your palms and purring. Each hand slammed the floor on each side of your shoulders, and you could feel him pull up his legs.

There weren’t any words for how... amazing his power felt. He started with a nice enough rocking, but he was overcome too easily. He cursed softly, almost bashfully, into your neck as he began going harder. It wasn’t like anything you had felt before as his rhythm grew more primal, harder.

You whimpered, the ground unforgiving as he scrambled to some new position. “Ryu... slow down.”

He shook his head. “Please...,” he whined, “don’t make me stop.” Yet, he did stop, pausing with a shuddering stop. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”

“Baby... I know. But don’t.... Let me catch up.”

“How?!”

“Kiss me. Touch me—all over my breasts. My back.” His lips went to your neck. “That’s it.”

Ryu grunted, smiling in the dark. “I’ve never... done this.” You shuddered as he squeezed your breasts, as he began kissing your collarbone and then, with careful and almost delicate precision nibbling your earlobes. “You need to tell me... everything you need.”

Your core squeezed, clamped around his cock. It was an addicting feeling and he swore that there was a some internal ocean drenching his skin with sticky, sweet-smelling slick. It was a beautiful, hot heaven to feel you rock up against him. It had to mean you were... enjoying this. That you were not going to turn him away. He didn’t think he could stop now—not completely. He needed to feel this and satisfy this growing burn inside.

He could do this. He balanced with effortless grace on his knees and on one palm. He couldn’t quite see you, even this close, but under his hand and fingers, he could feel your grin, feel you bob and nod as he slowed down and began nibbling your skin. Then, to just tease you, he selected a soft place on your neck and nipped at it. That made you jump and teased a shriek out of you, but also made you tighten around him more. So, he did it again and then he went back to suckle hard on your nipples. Every time, you whined, you rolled your hips, he shook to realize that giving you what you wanted only made his own pleasure increase to some blazing new height.

He pulled up to run his hands down your belly to the beautifully unruly curls between your legs. His fingers went to swirl in exploration and found a hot little swollen button. As soon as his rough fingers scraped it, you let out a groan and thrust up harder. “I-i-is that—?”

“Wonderful,” you muttered blearily.

He nodded, glad to hear it. Your voice was growing thinner, higher... and a little more breathless. It was a desperate sound, too—making him feel even more powerful. Not in the sense of muscles or endurance or anything else that he knew—not even the Dark Hado. It was better than anything from before, because he knew it was freely given and not taken with force.

“Please... more,” you whispered.

He nodded, nuzzling your neck fervently. The soft scent coming off of you that reminded him of warmth and spice and seemed indelibly infused with joy and fire. He kept his hesitant kisses and licks, teasing your body in myriad ways so that he could figure out was would make it better for you. What would make you keep doing that hypnotic roll of your hips, keep thrusting up and then kissing and stroking him back.

Your hands kept drawing fire along he skin. You’d grip his muscles or tug his shoulders and it was driving him to go faster. Even when your hands or lips touched the scratches on him, you were driving him further into his own heady pleasure. You still kissed him, lapped at him. Even peppered his skin with little nips of your own that reminded him of a kitten’s nibble. Then you’d feel him thrust hard and you’d give some wordless shout that echoed among the stone around him. Unconsciously, he began going faster, thrusting more and more in a fluid rhythm.

His fingers went back to the little curious button between your legs. You went faster, tugged harder on him, when he stroked it. So, he would do it again and again and each time was rewarded with your moist heat and eager acceptance. He thought for a dizzy moment it would never end, that he would be happily trapped in this pit forever in a blaze of glorious pleasure, but then he felt you shake and then stiffen into a tight knot and scream.

The tremors shook through and enflamed every single raw nerve in his body. His body couldn’t contain it and he thrust as fast as he could. The world boiled away and he felt everything explode into ash. He felt the fire burst out of rigid cock and something indescribable rip through his body and pour out into yours.

You were locked together with him, your bodies tangled, as he finally collapsed. He gathered his arms under him, letting you breathe in your shaky breath, and then pulled himself to one side. “Are you... hurt?”

“I’m... fine. Really—I’m fine.”

He touched you gently all over, stroking every inch of skin until his fingers had seen everything. “If... if you’re sure you’re okay.”

You yawned instead of answering him. He nodded in understanding and gathered all the clothes he could into a thin pallet. He helped you to it, folding the canvas straightjacket and putting it under your head. Then, he let himself curl around your weary body and relish your warmth.

“Aren’t you cold?” you whispered.

He settled down, kicking a broken bit of chain aside. “This is... This is not bad.” One arm settled over you in a possessive curl. “It’s not that bad compared to some of... when I was traveling.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah....” He let out a shy little laugh. “The street fights don’t always have hotels and stuff nearby. In... Thailand—I won. I beat Sagat, but... lots of people weren’t happy about it.” He snorted and patted your hair. “I couldn’t get a hotel for like three days. So I kind of camped wherever I could. Once all I could get was some space under an overpass with some pigeons.” His eyes looked around at the dim shadows of the pit. “This at least isn’t so cold. And we’re indoors at least.” There was a pause. “That sounded dumb. But... you get what I’m saying.” There was another pause and he whispered, “I’ll see if... maybe we can get a futon or something. Maybe... when we get some food. We can... ask.”

You nodded sleepily again, putting your head on your folded arm. “Maybe. I’ll ask Dhalsim. He might give us... food soon.”

“I’ll make sure. He can’t ignore me.” His laugh was light and mischievous. “One good thing about the Hado—I can’t be ignored.”

You laughed softly and curled even closer to him. If you hadn’t been utterly spent, it would have been hard to sleep. As it was, you found yourself sinking into sleep anyway. The street fighter was warm and strong, cradling you as best he could.

Time barely existed—just sleep and rest as you both tried to recover. Finally, your own stiff muscles forced you awake. You finally sat up, amused that Ryu was already sitting up. He rose to help you to your feet. With shaky hands, he helped you find your clothes and get dressed in the dim red twilight.

“What do we do now?” you whispered in a husky voice. “I’m... just—.”

“I know,” he muttered. His eyes flared red flames as he restlessly scanned the pit’s walls. “I am... sure that I can attract someone’s attention.”

“I need... just a little something to eat. I need something to drink more.”

“Okay,” he nodded.

His voice bellowed out a roar. You clapped your hands over your ears in agony, your screams adding to the racket. Surely someone heard him. It had to register on a Richter Scale somewhere.

He lost his breath and the whole room still echoed as he came over to you. Panting, he reached timidly to your shoulders. You looked up, a little worried that the red flares of his eyes seemed to be dim. In this hazy light, down in the pit, they had been a frightening but steady bit of light. Now, he was a barely visible shadow in a pit of shadows. He whispered softly, “Surely Dhalsim heard that. He’ll bring us something.”

You nodded and stumbled a bit. “I hope so.”

He sat next to you and whispered, “He’s not evil. He’ll give you help.” There was a long silence and then he added, “If not, Ken will. He’s always been a sucker for a pretty girl.”

“Ken’s not here,” you whispered back. “He... he went back to see Eliza. Said that he wanted to apologize and take care of her.”

“Wow...she kicked him out of the bedroom again?”

“Again?”

“Yeah.... She didn’t like that he was gone all the time. That he was fighting and stuff. But I thought that they had worked it out? He was supposed to be working on the road, too.”

“She’s.... She divorced him.”

“Oh? Oh.”

“He’s gone to try to apologize....”

“Oh. Well, Dhalsim will come.”

It was hard to figure out how long you waited. There was no passing of the sun or moon. No stars. Not even the ticking of a clock or a drip of water. There didn’t seem to be anything to listen to except each other’s breathing and the heartbeats in your ears. In self defense, you fumbled to find the chalk and drew dim stars and comets on the walls that you could barely see.

Finally you leaned against him. “I guess... no one heard you.” You stared up hesitantly at the rim of the pit. “What about... maybe I could... stand on your shoulders?”

He looked up. “I don’t think so, but we could try, I guess. Do you have good balance?”

“We’ll find out.”

He was right, of course. He couldn’t get to the edge of the pit because of the magical glyph and you weren’t tall enough to reach the edge. He helped you get down, and was a little disappointed, but not truly surprised. It was something to fill a few minutes at least, as you waited. Finally back down on the ground, he joined you in pacing the tiny room.

It was a maddening time later that you saw the first flicker of white light above you. You tapped his arm and pointed up. Finally a bald head leaned over and stared at you. Then, despite your yelling and shouting, disappeared. There was no indication of anything else—just a dim fluorescent light above.

“We’ll give him a little more time,” Ryu whispered. “If... if he isn’t coming back, then I... I think I can—.”

“Can what?”

“I think... maybe I can do a tornado kick and toss you to the edge.”

“Oh that sounds fun.”

“Tell me about your home. What’s it like? Do you see snow a lot?”

Another light turned on and finally you heard a crackle of a loudspeaker. Dhalsim’s voice muttered a few times and finally another light flickered on. It felt like something was finally happening, which gave you faint hope to pass the time. At long last, you saw him on the bridge overhead with a long pole in his hand.

“Dhalsim!” Ryu called. “We need.... We need food and water. She needs help.”

“I cannot help her. You are far too dangerous to risk escaping again.”

“What are we supposed to do?!”

“It is too dangerous.” Suddenly Ryu was enraged again. The terrifying transformation began again as his eyes flared and his face turned animalistic. Dhalsim’s voice remained unchanged. “Even now you are becoming a mindless beast.”

He stewed for a moment and then looked up again. “Fine. Hit me again.”

“What?”

“Whatever... the stupid darts are. Do it.” He looked at you. “But she needs out.”

“I have sent for Ken,” he said. “In an hour, he will be here.”

“Now! She needs help now! Not in an hour! Now!”

Then there was silence. You looked at each other—as best you could—and plopped down on the floor again. Finally, he whispered, “Ken is coming. He’s going to take you away, isn’t he?”

“What? No.... I mean, why would he? He’s the one who went and brought me here.”

Ryu shrugged. “It’s a feeling I have. That he’s coming to take you away. That I’m beyond hope and he’s going to take you away.” He slid closer to you. “Could... we... do it? One last time?”

His lovemaking was sweet and soft. Or as soft as it could be on stone, surrounded by stone. He faded into a desperate human that cherished your touch. It could not have been more gentle, more thoughtful, or more gentle. He whispered in your ear in gentle, stuttering Japanese and English. He was an ardent lover, adoring you as the world crumbled around you both. You were sticky and sweaty when he eased your clothes on you. Finally spent, he held you in his lap again, kissing your head and stroking your hair.

Finally he whispered, “I’m sorry. I never... meant that.... That you would... be infected by the Dark Hado.”

“W-w-what?”

“I saw it.” He shook a little, his arms tight around you. “I saw that it was in you, too.” He kissed your hair. “I never... ever want you to feel that. It would... kill you.”

“I’m fine, Ryu.”

“I guess.”

You heard echoes of Ken’s boisterous voice and sat there, waiting for him to appear. It took a long time—or at least, it seemed like a long time—before two heads appeared overhead. Ryu growled, but didn’t bother looking up. “I don’t want you to go,” he whispered in your ear. “I want you to stay with me, like you promised. I want to hear about you and listen to you. I... I want to have you cheer for me in a street fight.”

The silence above you was deafening. You whispered back, “I need....”

“I know.” He sighed and shrugged. “I will let them come get me. Just... don’t forget me, okay?”

Your voice shook as you whispered, “Okay.”

There was only a few moments before you heard the whiff and Ryu grunted. Then another and another. He sighed and growled and held you in his arms, little darts sticking out of him. You whispered up at him, “I‘m right here, baby.” He gave you a weary smile and then a half nod and sank over you. “I’m right here.”

Long after his eyes had closed and his breathing became deep and steady, you were almost asleep yourself when the door slid open. You blinked wearily and saw Ken walk in the Dhalsim behind him with lights blazing behind them. Both of them were tense, stalking lightly on their feet and fists up as they stared at you both.

Ken shuffled forward and picked up your ring of keys. “Well, at least we can get these back.” He jammed them in his pocket before staring at you. “I don’t know Dhalsim—are you sure that she was infected by the Dark Hado?”

“I am certain,” he replied easily.

Ken shuffled forward again and it worried you a bit that Ryu’s breathing barely changed. You shifted and rolled, stiffly crawling out of the other man’s lap. “Come on, babe. Let’s get you out of here.”

You scowled sleepily and nodded before whispering, “What about him? He needs some food and water.”

“Yeah, I’ll get him something before we lock him down again.” Ken shook his head. “You’re something else, you know that, babe? We’ve never see him act like that.”

Dhalsim cut in, “Hurry—before the darts wear off.”

“She isn’t in the Dark Hado, Dhalsim,” Ken insisted. “It’s just not in her.”

“She is perhaps better now. But we cannot risk another exposure.”

“Come on, babe. Let’s get you some food and something to drink.”

You nodded sleepily again and walked out with him. Ken peered into your eyes and frowned, but then shook his head. He led you to the kitchen where a pile of cheap fast food and five orders of French fries waited. You gobbled down your share of everything and drank every drop of water you could. You even got a long shower in just after the meal.

“That’s heavenly,” you purred as you toweled your hair dry to avoid dripping on your borrowed clean sweatpants and T-shirt. Ken only nodded silently from his perch on the edge of your bed. “I can’t believe that I missed this so much.”

“Let’s get going then,” he said. He gave you a short bow as he stood up. “You’ll be back by dinner.”

“W-w-w-what?”

“I just got word that your bar has been repaired and will re-open tomorrow night. You’re still on their payroll and can start work.” He sighed bitterly. “And if Dhalsim is right and the Dark Hado is getting to you, too, then I need to get you out of here and away from him.”

“W-w-what?! Umm... we’re doing so well! I mean... that’s what you want, right?” You pulled back a little—only a step or two in this tiny room—and gaped at him. “That’s why you... did this... right?”

He sighed and crept closer to you. “Babe... if I thought that you were helping him, I’d be the first to say that you should stay, but I can’t risk it if both of you are in the Dark Hado.” He held up his hands. “One of you—him—lost to the Dark Hado is dangerous enough. If there’s two of you, then... we can’t handle it. Dhalsim’s magic juujuu is depleted enough just keeping him contained. What if you guys both get lost? There’s just too much at risk.

“I’m sorry, babe. But we can’t risk it. Dhalsim is worn out, and I’m getting tapped out, too. We’re not going to lose you, babe. And... unfortunately, this is just too much. He is too powerful. Too...much.” He looked down for a brief second. “So, I’m going to get you out of here and take you home. Make sure you’re safe.”

“What about Ryu?”

“He doesn’t need to be your problem, babe. He’s our problem.”

“No—that’s not... right!”

“We’ll take care of him. That’s all you need to worry about.”

You shuddered at his deadpan expression. “Umm... I want to go talk to Ryu.” You turned red for a moment. “I promised I’d... stay with him.”

Ken shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’ll tell you what—I’ll tell him that you wanted to stay. Or something.”

You thought for a moment and realized you were actually getting tired. This was so hard. The thought of trying to reason with him was exhausting itself. You went to the bed and sat down heavily. Ryu wouldn’t appreciate you breaking your word. You promised....

You realized that you were lounging on the bed, then laying back. Things were so warm and you were tired. Maybe the night on the floor had worn you out more than you thought. Ken snorted slightly and you barely saw him come near you.

You dreamed of being on a plane. Or something. It didn’t appear to be a plane, but there was a carpeted aisle with seats on each side. You were laid on some kind of bed and you felt a soothing vibration. Then things were dark again and you rolled over and stretched out. This would be a funny thing to talk to Ryu about. Wouldn’t it?

You jerked awake in your best friend’s apartment on the couch. She brought you a drink, muttered that the cute guy brought you in, said that you weren’t feeling well. Then he put you on the couch and left. It made your blood run cold, that he had discarded you so callously. First he picked you up, then dropped you off like a stray puppy he didn’t want to adopt.

He didn’t count on you, though. You were able to get back to your place, start your job again. A new investor—a suspiciously anonymous one—had put some capital into the place and it was somewhat nicer than before. But it wasn’t the same. No one said anything really, but it was just different.

So, you worked and did the things in your life you needed to, and then most every other moment was spent online. You looked up everything you could about Ken and Eliza. About Ryu and the elusive Dhalsim. There were scant recent articles, but plenty of stupid gossip pieces. Finally there was an article that Eliza and Ken were seen together a few days ago.

So, without a way to track to track any of the men, you went after Eliza. She was far easier to find—in a Beverly Hills condo. It took about a week, but there was finally a break in her schedule and you got an appointment. She met with you in her luxurious condo, welcoming you with mimosas and a tray of snacks and cut fruits.

“So how did you meet Ken?” she drawled cooly.

“Umm... he insisted on me... going with him—.”

“Oh really?!” she snarled.

You sighed and put down the delicate crystal flute. “Look... he took me from my bar—where I work—and hauled me... somewhere. He said that I was supposed to help his friend Ryu.”

Suddenly the blonde woman gasped and held her hand to her mouth as her blue eyes went wide. “Oh my God. This is about Ryu?” She took an unsteady sip of her mimosa and set it aside. “I’m so sorry. I thought... well, it was silly what I thought. So many people—girls—have tried to say that Ken did something or whatever. Silly when I know he’s probably been with Ryu the whole time. He’s just that kind of guy.

“But if you say he was bringing you to Ryu... I had no idea that this meeting was about him. I hadn’t heard anything for weeks and then Ken shows upon my doorstep saying things were getting better. And then Ken gets a call and flies out of here like his pants are on fire saying it’s an emergency. Now you’re here trying to get back to Ken and Ryu.” You nodded slowly. “Ryu, huh? Tell me what I can do to help.”

You smirked and suddenly felt better about taking another sip of the mimosa. “I need to.... Now, this is going to sound crazy, but, I need to get back to Ryu.” Eliza didn’t show any surprise, and only nodded slightly. “I don’t know where the building is. Where to go.”

“It’s probably the one he bought most recently. It used to be a military barracks. Well, now, if you want to help,” she sighed, “you need to move fast.”

“Why?”

“The lease on that building is set to to expire in a week.” She glanced at her delicate bracelet watch. “If you are serious about helping him, then we need to leave now.”

You were seated in the back of her royal blue Maserati within a half hour. She drove down the highway with a singleminded determination and a soft piano solo flowing out of the speakers. “So what kind of shape was Ryu in when you left?”

“He was... getting better,” you muttered, watching the cars out the windows. “He was still... scary at times, but, he was so torn up. With his father dying and Akuma and then everything else. It’s a wonder he stayed as, well, as sane as he did.” Her blue eyes flickered towards you in the rear view mirror. “And he was getting better. But it was taking a while and the pit... was just bad.”

“The pit?”

You described the pit, the bridge. The warehouse building you didn’t get a good look at, but apparently Eliza knew exactly which one to go to. She shook her head slowly as she waited for a light to change. “Well... that’s a real kettle of fish, isn’t it? That sounds just terrible.”

“Well, he was a bit harder to keep under wraps.” You let out a nervous chuckle. “He would spend days just raging. Days that... he couldn’t eat or drink. Then he could blow out the lights when he got really mad.” Your eyes closed briefly. “And... days he couldn’t bathe or anything.”

“You sure you want to go back?”

“Yes! He’s... just mourning. He’s been so wrapped up, so hurting. I think that I’d be crazy too.”

“You know, you sound a little like you’re in love,” she smiled. “I’m glad. Ryu’s a good man. At least, he was. He needed someone to hold on to, someone to love him for who he is.” She puffed out a breath. “And if you’re willing to go back to him—even with the Dark Hado—then, you’re a good woman for him.” She made another turn. “Now, get down and cover up. The security gate’s coming up.”

You ducked down on the back seat and pulled a dull, dark blanket over you. She put a few clothes on hangers over you, along with an empty box marked “Mathatma Rice - 5# bags” and a cosmetic bag. All in all, it looked like she was bringing in some odds and ends that were naturally lumpy over the back seat. You held your breath as she stopped at the guardhouse and spoke with security. “Darling, can’t you let me in? I brought some of Ken’s things. He’s been gone so long, I thought he’d like some supplies.”

“Well, ma’am—let me call ahead.” There was another pause as Eliza and you waited. “Mr. Masters says that he’s waiting for you. Go on and follow the arrows to the parking deck. I’ll call ahead so that the door’s open.”

“That’s so sweet of you! Thank you.”

“Have a nice day, ma’am.”

As soon as you got through, you stuck your nose up between the seats. Eliza drove through and slid into a parking lot spot. You knew it couldn’t be that easy, but then there it was. Eliza simply breezed through, corralling the security guard to help carry the stuff including a noisy radio playing rock and roll from the trunk and drawling that he didn’t need to lock the door since she was coming right back out to get the rest of it. It seemed absurdly, stupidly easy to break in, but with Eliza’s take charge ways and smooth Southern charm you were all but walking in.

Everyone should be so smooth.

You trailed in and then disappeared down a side hallway. She had given you a set of dark pants and shirt, as well as scarf to cover your hair and face. Your steps disappeared with the radio blaring and then you ducked down a side hallway. Eliza went on, giving you time to duck into a side hallway before turning the guard around to help her get the rest of her things. Then you could creep to the bridge over the pit. What precisely you were planning to do when you go to the bridge, you really didn’t know. The first thing was to let Ryu know you were there. At the worst, you could jump and he could catch you. It was a stupid plan, but at this point any plan was a good one.

Then you saw the huge room and the bridge. Most every light was shattered and piles of glass were underneath the huge fixtures, as if the bulbs had been broken as soon as they were replaced. Two of the emergency lights were shattered as well and you gulped in nervously to see the huge scorch marks behind them. As such, the bottom of the pit was just about pitch black.

Pitch black.

No points of flaring red.

You swallowed heavily and crept slowly to the hallways. No one was there to stop you. Most of the lights were out—either shattered or simply off. In fact, the only ones that were on were in the deserted kitchen and... your old room. That was... creepy.

You were breathless as you got to the entry door to the pit. Then you stopped short. The door was... gaping open. There were no lights, no locks. It just was too quiet, too dark. And now... open.

You stepped in, afraid of what you’d find and afraid you wouldn’t find anything at all. “Ryu? Ryu!” Yes, the dim red lights barely reached down here and even with your eyes straining to see anything, it still seemed too dark. You stretched your arms out in front of you, desperate to find anything. “Ryu—I’m... back. It’s me. Where are you?”

You heard a heavy footstep behind you and then a gruff voice. “So that’s why Eliza was so keen to come here,” Ken snorted as you whirled to face him. He was in a pair of sweatpants and a loose red sweatshirt with a splashy “Masters’ Gym” logo on it. He grinned in a lopsided way. “Not that I’m complaining—I’m glad to see her—but... yeah. She’s not as slick as she thinks.”

You glared at him and then turned back into the dark. “Where’s Ryu?”

He scowled and fiddled in his pocket. He tossed you a flashlight. “He’s there.”

You flicked the flashlight on and walked in. Everything was ruined. The walls looked like they had been on fire. The floor looked sooty and black. The anchors for the many chains were all warped or broken. The lights were gone—but then most of the lights around here were. Everything smelled of sulphur and fire and even the glyph seemed somehow to be broken.

Then your flashlight beam hit... a large lump on the floor. You ran forward and found Ryu crumpled over on the floor. His skin was ashy and he seemed to be barely breathing. “Ryu! Wake up!”

Ken stepped in quietly behind you. “He... he’s been like this since you left.” He glanced around. “Well, after he destroyed the place.”

“What?”

“I took you to your friend’s house and when I got back, he had destroyed the place.” He glanced over his shoulder to see Eliza picking her high heeled way through the wreckage. The lady came up to her and put a shaky hand on his shoulder. “He... woke up alone. And he began raging.”

Eliza looked curiously at the dark shadows of the pit. “He must have been half insane to do all this damage on his own. What happened?”

“He...did all this from the bottom of the pit?” she asked.

“The Dark Hado is tremendously powerful and Ryu is—was a master,” Dhalsim muttered smoothly. You stared as he limped in with a bandaged wrist. “He fought everything. The chains quite obviously did not hold and he burned off the straightjacket with a... strange sort of ki fire attack. The Shun Gouken Satsu burned through the leather and canvas as if... as if it was butter.”

Your voice shook as you finally croaked out, “Then?”

“He was uncontrollable and his next attack was against the wards I put up to contain him. He broke through that and then went through the door.” Your eyes went to the door and took in the damages. “Then, strangely, he stopped. He simply stopped and collapsed on the floor as you see him.”

You shook nervously and walked over to Ryu. Gingerly, you reached to his neck and felt the faint, sluggish pulse. He didn’t even move—his shallow breathing didn’t change—which worried you more. “Ryu... can you hear me?”

Dhalsim walked over to you. “For several days, he only called your name and sobbed. I was here at the doorway when he finally collapsed. It was... strangely coherent time like none of his previous days. I asked him what he meant to do, and he said that....”

He paused with his head bowed until Eliza asked, “He said what?”

“He said that he was... that he was alone. That he deserved to be alone for all that he had done and that his love was not going to return. That he knew he deserved it, that he was.... He called himself a ‘monster’ and a ‘beast’ and said that he had to be destroyed before he hurt you.” His dark eyes drifted to you. “He said that he would remain here, where no one would find him and no one would mourn him. I asked if he wanted us to find you and he said that... he would let you go. Because he loved you and he was afraid of the Dark Hado corrupting you. Then he knelt on the floor and stayed there—unmoving and silent—until yesterday when he collapsed.”

Your hands tightened into fists against his skin and you turned towards Ryu. “Come on. you big lug—wake up. I’m here and... and we can.... Hell, I don’t know. We can....” Tears formed in your eyes. “I’m here. Wake up. Let’s talk. We can talk and talk and we’ll get something to eat. Anything you want.”

Eliza let out a soft sound—a puppy sob—and turned into Ken. The blond man was pale and resolute, strangely at peace in some profound way, as he looked at his best friend. “He was... a good man. You never saw it, but he was... a good man.”

You nodded slowly and looked down at him. He looked peaceful, as if he was only asleep. With shaking fingers, you combed his hair from his face. “Ryu... I’m back. It... is okay. You can wake up now.”

You don’t know how long you stayed there, just stroking his brow and his stubbly cheeks. The only way you knew you weren’t avidly whispering to a corpse was the soft hiss of breath you felt every so often. You weren’t sure why you were still here—surely he couldn’t hear you.

Then, slowly, his eyes opened slightly to give you a weary glance. How odd... in the dim light from the flashlight, his eyes were a bloodshot chocolate color. He gave a weary half smile and sighed, closing his eyes again. “You came back,” he whispered. “You really... came back. To see... my—.”

“To see that you’ve...,” you sighed in return. You were going to make a sarcastic comment about destroying the place, but instead, you added, “...you’ve gotten sick. What are we to do with you?”

You brushed his hair again, amused at his rusty purring. “Will you...? Will you eat something?” You made a face and stroked his throat. “I will get anything you want.”

He heaved and let out a rusty laugh. “I... want?”

“Hold on...and I’ll get you some water....”

He jerked. “No... I won’t.”

You hit his shoulder. “Oh yes, you are.”

He rolled, shoving himself over to his back to face you. Weary chocolate eyes stared into your own as he panted for breath. “I won’t... let it hurt you.”

“What?!”

He smiled at you, closing his eyes. “I won’t. Won’t let the Dark Hado... have you.” He sighed. “I won’t let it destroy you.”

“I’m fine.” You took his hand in yours and gripped it. “I’m fine. I’m right here.”

“The Dark Hado... will perish with me.” He grinned wildly. “I know... Ken will take you from here. Dhalsim will... mutter over... his chicken bones. You will be... just fine.” He smirked and then it washed off his face with a glistening tear. “Just... remember me. Will you... do that? Just... remember me.”

You leaned over him, and whispered, “Please, let me try. I can.... I can do it. I can... save you. We can do it and then we can... leave together.”

“Remember me. Just remember me.”

You shook your head wildly. “I’m not... going to leave you alone like this. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left and I am sorry. It’s not going to happen again.”

“I won’t let the Dark Hado go. I won’t.... It won’t hurt you.”

There was a long, shuddering moment and you heard Dhalsim finally sigh and then say, “I suppose... I should add something here.” You looked over your shoulder sourly and he shrugged, “The... Dark Hado is.... not there.”

Ken let out a startled sound and growled, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying... the Dark Hado... is no longer there.” He let around a low chortle. “It is... simply not in him.”

You growled and hit his shoulder. “See? We... we are going... to leave here together.”

Ryu shuddered and you heard light footsteps running down a hallway and then returning. Eliza came up to you and shoved a cold bottle of water in your hand. It took you three tries, but you finally got it opened and shoved it into his mouth. “Come on, Ryu. You have to fight!”

He choked for a momentary and then began gulping the water in noisy gulps. As soon as it was empty he clumsily shoved it away. Blinking in the uncertain shadows, he sighed, “I... don’t want to.”

You tugged and pushed until he was sitting up. “Come on, Ryu. You have to fight.”

“Don’t... want to. What if I... don’t want to?” He frowned as Eliza backed away again, running down the hallway again. “Master Gouken always said.... I.... What if I don’t want to fight?”

Ken let out a laugh and crept up to stand beside you. “You’ll be right as rain in no time. I sent Eliza to get some food. We can eat. And then you’ll be—.”

Ryu shuddered and threw an arm around you to push you into his lap. “I won’t.... I won’t fight.”

You looked up at Ken, almost laughing at his dumbfounded expression. “It’s okay. One step at a time.” With a hesitant kiss on his cheek, you wrapped your arms around him. “First... some food....”

Ken threw a meaty shoulder under Ryu’s arm and helped him to the kitchen. Ryu kept a hand wrapped around yours and would stagger, pulling away when he lost his light grip. They flopped down on one of the steel benches. Dhalsim walked around lightly, helping Eliza cook a soup.

Ryu kept his eyes on you, one hand reaching for you almost constantly as you tried to put together some sandwiches. As soon as things were put down in the table, Ryu pulled you next to him and grabbed sandwiches and served you both a bowlful of the soup.

“Ryu—that’s enough,” you giggled. “Leave some for everyone else.”

He snatched up a sandwich and wolfed it down in two bites. Then he gingerly picked up a sandwich and held it up to your mouth. “Come on.... You need to eat, too.”

You took a nibble and smiled at him. “I’m fine. Now... let’s eat.”

He nodded and took a bite of the soup. Suddenly, he was ravenous and seemed eager to eat anything and everything. Every so often, he would stop and wave a bite of food in front of you. Eliza giggled as Ken rolled his eyes and snickered. Dhalsim was the only one who simply ate his food in a thoughtful way, ignoring all of you.

Ryu gobbled another sandwich and then looked up at you. “Aren’t you hungry?” He scooped up a spoonful and waved it in front of your mouth. “It’s really good. Man, I feel like I could eat a horse, and... I don’t want—.”

Your eyes widened as you saw his cheeks turn red. “What?”

He set down the spoon. “I’m... really sorry to keep you here. You’ve been in the dark with me. In the pit. And now, I want to be sure that... that you are well, too.” He gestured at the bowl. “I want you... to be strong. To grow better.” You nodded and began sipping the soup. He grinned and nodded at you. “You have to get better.”

“I’m fine,” you whispered softly.

Dhalsim cleared his throat and added, “And the child?” You blinked nervously at the yogi as Ryu suddenly choked. “I sense another life’s chi.” He took a leisurely swallow of soup. “And I am not ignorant of... certain events.”

Both you and Ryu turned red as Eliza and Ken laughed awkwardly. She raised her glass of water towards you both. “Well, congratulations, then, Ryu.”

He shuddered and looked at you. He seemed to grow pale. “If...? The child might be... able to....”

Dhalsim shook his head. “I do not believe that will happen.”

Ryu shook his head and suddenly shoved the bowl away. “The Dark Hado.... I’m not ready—.”

“Ryu!” you gasped. “It’s... okay.”

He grabbed your wrist and suddenly looked at you earnestly. “Don’t lie to me. Is... it true?”

You flushed and looked down and then shrugged. “I suppose... it is possible....”

Dhalsim whispered, “I do not sense the Dark Hado at all in anyone here.” He shrugged slightly. “I think that you will find that you should... perhaps consider that you will live a long and happy life.”

Ryu seemed to be very quiet as you led him to the bare quarters where his things were stowed. He pulled out some clean pants and went to the adjoining shower. You followed him slowly, amused as he flushed and looked up at you shyly. The water from the shower poured over you both and he took immense care to bathe you as gently as if he was washing bone china.

As he brushed the last froth of soap from your shoulder, he pressed a hesitant kiss to your cheek. Then another as you took the soap from him and began rubbing it over his abs and chest. Everything was starting to blaze as you cleaned his hips and began to soap his hardening cock. He whispered soft words, hissing as you rinsed him clean.

You were feeling wicked, a sudden thrill as you leaned over and stroked his cock. He didn’t protest, instead just leaned against the back wall as you knelt down and took him in your mouth. You sucked hard, stroking his balls and running your nail tips down his inner thighs and you were rewarded by the first trickle coming out into your mouth. You kept it up, hoping that he would surrender. He would have to know how much you cared, surely.

He did break, leaning more against the wall and canting his hips forward. He hissed short curses as you kept going, your mouth working his skin. “Fuck... you feel amazing.” His huge hand went to the back of your head, keeping you there. “I can’t.... You can’t stop.”

You felt him tense, his muscles curling and tighten, and then you pulled away. He grunted and his hand shook in your wet hair. Immediately, your hands curled around his cock and began massaging him. “Are you... going to... leave?”

He shook his head, water spraying everywhere. “I need you.” Even his toes curled against the tiles in the shower. “But... I can’t be a father. I can’t... risk you... or a child. The Dark Hado could... it could hurt someone else.” Abruptly, his hands began petting you. “Don’t you see? This is... the only way.”

Your hands went still and you looked up at him. “But... you’re going to leave? Where will you go?”

“I’m going to... go back to my... home. In the mountains. Where F-f-father raised me in the dojo.” His eyes were wide and puppyish. “N-n-no one comes up there. S-s-since he died... no one will be there. No one who c-c-can get hurt by the Dark Hado.” He sighed and shook his head again. “No one else will get hurt.”

“I’m going... to follow you.”

He shook his head again. “No. No one else. I will be there, training.” He smiled down at you. “I will not be with anyone else. You will... always be in my heart and no one... could come close.”

You squeezed his cock again meaningfully. “And... if I am pregnant, you will have me... raise it alone?”

He hissed again, his head thrown back and his fists slamming into the tiled walls. “No! No—one one... should be... alone like I was.” His hips pushed forward as if it was against his will, as if his body was disobeying his every intention. “I am... not going—.”

You smirked. You knew that you had won, even if he hadn’t admitted it yet. “I will be... all alone.” Slowly you began pumping your fists. “We... will be all alone.”

“No... Not alone!” His teeth grit together. “Not alone.”

His hips began pumping forward in a hectic rhythm. The bathroom echoed with the slick, erotic sounds as a small spurt of liquid trickled out of the ruddy tip. You locked your lips on his tip and felt him push even harder. Suddenly, he pushed and got into your mouth with a hiss. He kept going, suddenly thrusting like a jackhammer.

Then his hands went to your head again pushed into your mouth. He hissed again and growled, “Get ready.”

You were ready. When he shuddered and thrust again, you were ready for his sudden climax. He growled and hissed, his entire body shuddering as his seed spurted into your mouth. He nodded slowly and trembled as he felt the pleasure race through him. Finally, he was able to relax, his body growing relaxed and still.

Instantly his hands went to your hair. He looked down at you with tortured eyes. “Can you...? Can you come with me? It’s... not easy, but... I will do anything.” You purred as you felt his hands gently brushing your forehead, your cheeks. “I am... nothing. Not anyone important. But... I guess... I can teach. I can.... I will do anything you want.... But... I want... my kids to know that their father loves them.”

“I know.”

“I will teach. It’s... what Father would want anyway. He’d... he’d be so happy that his grandchild would be in the mountains. In the dojo.”

“I know.”

“I can do it. I can make sure... that you have what you need.” He reached to hold you close. “I can be sure you are safe.”

“I know.”

He shuddered and pushed gently on your shoulders to look at you sternly. “But... you must—you must!—promise me that you’ll call Ken or Dhalsim....” He shuddered. “If I ever, ever start to get... violent, you must promise to call Ken or Dhalsim or even Edmond Honda if you ever see me falling to the Dark Hado again.”

“I promise, Ryu.”

You both slept together again, and spent what felt like hours talking. You finally got some sleep, wrapped up together. At some point, you both awoke—well, he awoke and then rolled you over with kisses—and went to get some breakfast. He was vegetarian—like Gouken had been—but he was more than willing to go dig in the refrigerator and pantry to find you whatever you wanted to eat.

Dhalsim came in with a smug smile, watching as Ryu brought you a glass of milk and another egg. He glanced between you both and nodded to himself before getting a glass of hot tea. Ryu hovered around you, trying to make sure you have everything before sitting down himself.

“So, you are settled, then?” Dhalsim asked.

Ryu grunted and muttered, “Well, for now.”

“You will always know where to find me.” He shrugged. “I am only in Tibet as the Temple of the Golden Nirvana.” His grin was wide and toothy. “After traveling to Russia and the U.S., that is practically a neighborhood walk.”

“Where are Ken and Eliza?”

Another smirking grin and he shrugged. “I would say that... they deserve a measure of privacy to work on their own relationship. Would you say so?” Ryu turned red and glanced awkwardly at you before you grinned in return. “So, what are you going to do?”

“We are going to go to Japan. To the dojo.” He looked at his own cup of tea thoughtfully. “And I will teach others.”

“Oh?” Dhalsim nodded to himself and smirked. “I predict that you will find great peace and happiness in the mountains. So, my advice is go there. Go make your peace with your master. Go and teach and raise the next generation of street fighters and masters.”

“What about... the others? Ken? E? Uhh... you?”

“We will be stronger now that you are returned to us.” He gave a toothy grin. “And... the future will be brighter.”

“Is that more of your voodoo?” you asked humorously. “More predictions?”

“Perhaps. I am not a fortune teller. But I would say that you should be prepared to have, as the Americans say, a ‘happily ever after’.”


End file.
